Let me be your hero
by AiraChica
Summary: When a girl is known for being strong, it can tear her apart to be looked at with pity. Helga Pataki, an 18 year old girl, had a part of herself stolen from her one night and ever since then, she lost herself. She was ready to give her life up, until someone reached a helping hand out for her. Arnold wouldn't let her fall, especially not when someone else was going down with her.
1. It seems so surreal

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**Summary: **_**When a girl is known for being strong, it can tear her apart to be looked at with pity. Helga Pataki, an 18 year old girl, had a part of herself stolen from her one night and ever since then, she lost herself. She was ready to give her life up, until someone reached a helping hand out for her. Arnold wouldn't let her fall, especially not when someone else was going down with her.**_

**Author's 1st note: Warning: Dark story (with a happy ending!) This story is – in a way – a journey into how twisted and dark your world can become, when something precious is taken from you, but with Helga, it's slightly different. (Slight twist warning, lol) Besides the darkness, there's ALSO gonna be a lot of fluff and romance! Don't worry, you're not about to read something with only depression fuel! XD Again: happy conclusion! However, more than 'Blackmail toy', this **_**is**_** going to be darker and more psychological. We'll hear both Arnold and Helga's thoughts (same style as in 'Blackmail toy'), so there's a chance to dive deep into the minds of them xP**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

**So. Without further ado, I now present you "Let me be your hero"!**

* * *

Chapter 1: "It seems so surreal"

"Move it, geek bait!"

That little too familiar voice echoed through the hallway of the school, causing a certain young man to freeze in place, rather than moving as he had just been ordered. That did seem to be his reaction from time to time; to freeze in slight fear rather than doing the smart thing, like moving the heck outta her way. "Hey, football head, are you deaf?!"

Arnold finally gasped a little as that last sentence rang a bell in his memory and he stepped aside. "About time!" Helga said as she walked past him with that usual scowl on her face. He didn't notice the scowl – it was always there, so he'd notice it if it was suddenly gone though – he only noticed that she was wearing her hair down today for one reason or another. The long locks brushed against his nose and chest, which made him flinch a bit since it tickled.

Arnold moved his hand up to his nose to scratch it as he looked at Helga. She was wearing one of her more colorful outfits this day. A pink top with a rather lazy looking light blue hoodie over it. The lazy part being it was made to fall down her shoulders, showing of half of the very toned lines of her biceps. It truly didn't matter what she wore, no matter how feminine, it'd still be obvious how physical strong she was.

It wasn't like Helga tried to hide her strength though – not at all. At that particular moment, a poor freshman dared not to notice her going his way. His punishment? Arnold flinched as the boy was pushed into his locker, all of his books falling out of his arms. Arnold wanted to chastise her, he really did, but considering the lack of success in his former attempts, he simply went to help the freshman off the floor.

"Thanks, Arnold." The boy said gratefully as he stood up and started to brush himself off. "Man, Pataki's a real pain in the ass!"

Arnold opened his mouth to speak, but he seriously couldn't argue against that. Having been her favorite victim since preschool, he knew how much Helga _could_ be rather annoying to be around, but he also knew that she wasn't only a bully. "She's not always this bad, I swear." He decided to say though, causing the freshman to look at him incredulity. "You always say that, but I've never even seen her smile. She's just scowling all the effing time."

Arnold wanted to argue against that, but then realized he hadn't really seen Helga smile himself since… since fourth grade, now he thought about it. On the FTI roof, where she… He shook his head to get rid of that image that had haunted him ever since, though he wasn't really sure in what way anymore. Back then, he had just been a small boy, how else was he supposed to react to a girl telling him she loved him and even when that particular girl was his personal tormentor? Now he was older, so it was a long time ago, and yet he couldn't help but wonder why they had agreed to take it back? Life had continued, as usual, and nothing had changed… except for him being even more gung-ho about making her show her loving side a little more, since he had seen it so very clearly that morning.

"She _does_ smile, just… only on special occasions." Arnold explained vaguely, but couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face. _Special occasions…_ He repeated in his head, suddenly feeling a little proud at the fact that _Helga Pataki_ had feelings for him – at least at some point. The freshman cocked an eyebrow at that somewhat content smile on his face. "Hey, Arnold… you have feelings for her?" he asked.

Arnold almost choked on his own breath at that question, since he had just been thinking about Helga's love confession to him back then. "Huh? What? Uh… n-no, that's not it. I'm just… She's a mystery, you know, she's… intriguing." He answered, and it was the honest truth. Helga had always intrigued him. She was a mystery that made no sense to him. As soon as he wanted to get rid of her, she would pull him right back in and he'd be stuck with her yet again. She wasn't a girl one could let go of, even if they wanted to. Not that he really wanted to, at least not anymore he didn't. She was a part of his life now. If she suddenly disappeared or changed, he had a feeling that it would start to change him as well. One way or another.

"Hmm, too bad." The freshman grabbed his books and then stood up yet again. "I think someone like you loving her would help her." He added thoughtfully. "Someone like me?" Arnold repeated with his head cocked a little to the side. "Yeah, good, kind, someone who could show her that she doesn't have to act like that all the freaking time. You know, love her unconditionally and all that jazz." The freshman answered casually.

"And all that jazz?" Arnold repeated with a chuckle. "Hey, _I_'m definitely not the one to be that guy to her." The freshman answered. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not either." Arnold answered with a slight smile. The freshman shrugged and walked past him. "Too bad." He said before he disappeared. Arnold turned his head around thoughtfully and looked in Helga's direction. She was currently banging at her locker, trying to pry it open. He snickered at the image and started to walk towards her.

"Come on, you stupid thing!" Helga grunted, as she was almost ready to use her nails to pry it open. Not that it would help; her nails wasn't exactly the length of every other girl in school. They weren't fake either, so if they broke, it'd hurt like hell. "Need help?" Arnold asked when he reached her. She shrieked and almost jumped ten feet into the air. "Arnold! You idiot, you scared the shit outta me! Why do you always have to do that?!"

"You're jumpy; that's not my fault." Arnold pointed out with a small smile. Helga huffed and threw a lock of her hair away from her face. "No, I'm not. _You_'re the creeper." She answered and pulled down at her hoodie. He hadn't noticed until she did that, but it had sneaked up quite a lot after her jump. She really _was_ jumpy, even if she wouldn't admit it. "Playing the good Samaritan again?"

"Huh?" Arnold muttered. Helga rolled her eyes. "You asked if I needed help, right. Well, good luck, this thing is so fucking stupid. Doesn't matter what I do to it, it won't follow orders." She explained as she glared at the lock on her locker. "It's because you're using force." He explained and went to try to open it. "What's the combination?"

"5-8-3-9." Helga answered as she crossed her arms. "But that's not the problem. I _know_ my combination. It just won't open anyway!" she added with a scowl just before the lock popped open. Her eyes popped open as well, as the door to her locker now opened before her eyes. "There you go." Arnold said as he did his best not to laugh at her shocked expression. "How the holy hell did you do that?" she asked as she went closer to the locker.

"Some things just need a more gentle touch. You can't force everything open with violence." Arnold explained with a slight shrug. Helga turned her eyes to look at him for a couple of seconds, not liking the way his sentence seemed to have two meanings. "Well, thank you, yutz, now I won't have to be late for math." She said as she grabbed her math book and banged the door at its handles. "Wanna go there together?" he asked with a small smile as he pointed with his thumb in the direction of their classroom.

"Sure. We're both going there anyway." Helga answered indifferently and started to walk. Arnold strode right up next to her, wearing a smile on his face, since it wasn't always she'd say yes to a simple suggestion like that. She seemed to be in a rather good mood this day. "You have any plans today?" he asked, wondering if something good had happened to her. The corners of her mouth picked up a little bit, causing his smile to get bigger. "Actually, I _do_. I'm going to WrestleMania tonight."

"WrestleMania?" Arnold repeated with a slight frown. He knew Helga had a weakness for such events, though he didn't really watch that kind of stuff himself. That wasn't what bumped him though. "Isn't that… in the outskirts of town?" he asked with a worried face. "Yes, it is. Why?" she asked as her eyes narrowed a bit. She knew him; she knew him really well, so it didn't surprise her that he seemed so worried about such a small thing.

"And WrestleMania… that's kinda going on pretty late, right?" Arnold asked as he continued to frown. Helga stopped walking, crossed her arms and stepped in front of him to stop him from walking as well. "What are you getting at?" she asked in annoyance. He wondered if he should keep pressing the subject, but he just couldn't help it. He was a worrywart, and as strong as she was, she was still going to be one of the few – if not the only – girl at that WrestleMania match.

"It's just… y-you going with anyone?" Arnold asked. "I _was_ going with Harold, but he had to take a rain check. He still gave me the free tickets though; we've been going every year since fourth grade. His cousin works there, so he always lets us in for free." Helga explained which caused his eyes to open a little more in surprise. "Really? I didn't know that." he muttered. Helga and Harold weren't the best of friends, so the image of them getting along once a year seemed a little strange.

"No one knows. It's just this annual thing, you know, since none of us know anyone else who likes wrestling. Well, except for Patty, but when they're together, it gets mushy really fast, so they've given up on watching wrestling together." Helga answered with a small smile. Arnold started smiling as well at that reminder. Harold and Patty had a fling from back in fourth grade, but it didn't get serious until a year ago. Exactly a year ago, now that he thought about it. "Did they start dating after WrestleMania last year?" he asked.

"Yup. We ran into Patty at WrestleMania last year, I pushed them together and boom, they were a couple by the time WrestleMania was over, so it's their first anniversary. I would probably have punched him, if he told me he'd spend his anniversary with Patty at WrestleMania with _me_." Helga answered. "So you helped them get together, didn't you?" Arnold asked with a proud smile. She shrugged. "I guess you could say that… Why are you smiling like that?"

"It just… It always makes me happy when you do something kindhearted like that." Arnold answered. For a second, he could've sworn Helga's cheeks went a little red after he said that, but then she just shook her head in disbelief. "O-Oh, please. You're such a goody-two-shoes. You're just happy because you think it's somehow thanks to you that I did it or… something." She replied, though she realized the lack of logic in her argument quickly and just shook her head again and started walking.

"No! I get happy because you're mostly known for not being that… uh…" Arnold muttered his last words when he realized that he was about to step onto a landmine. Helga turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. "Choose your next words _very_ wisely, yutz." She said with a warning scowl. He gave a very pensive look as he struggled to figure out a way to finish his sentence without losing any teeth. "Uh… you're not known for being that… soft?"

Helga blinked a couple of times, and for a second, Arnold was sure he could start planning his next trip to the dentist, but then she started laughing. "Soft?! Cute, Arnold, real cute." She said in-between her laughter and continued towards the classroom. He kept standing for a couple of seconds, a little more than slightly dumbfounded. _Cute_? He repeated in his head before he ran up next to her again. _Well… at least I won't need a denture._

"So you couldn't find anyone else who'd go with you?" Arnold asked, still haven't forgotten about Helga going to the outskirts of town that late at night. "Naw, I haven't really asked anyone to be honest. It's a me and Harold thing at this point. Besides, I've gone to WrestleMania alone before. No biggie." She answered, and she seemed rather honest. It was true that she did many things on her own; her being an absolute tomboy might be a huge part of that, but she always seemed a little alone in general. She seemed fine with it though.

"Well… just be careful then, ok? Harold's not gonna be around you, so you're easier to target." Arnold pointed out, knowing _exactly_ how Helga would react to that. "Excuse me?! You think I can't handle myself?" she asked with an obviously insulted tone in her voice. "Helga, you know that's not why I'm saying this." he said, but was stopped from speaking any further. "Then what _are_ you saying?" she asked him.

"W-Well, it's just…" Arnold started, struggling to find the best way to phrase his concerns without making Helga use him as a punching bag. Then, as if a light bulb had just appeared over his head, his face lit up. "W-Well, the difference between the boys at our school and the men who're going to be at WrestleMania is that the boys at our school _knows_ that you're strong and can beat the living heck out of them, the men at WrestleMania don't know that, so they won't be scared of trying to attack you."

"So they'll be surprised when I introduce them to Old Betsy and The Five Avengers; that seems like a pretty good thing to me." Helga replied as she felt her eyebrow quirk a bit. "When you put it like that, then, yeah, but what if they surprise you?" Arnold asked. She blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Surprise me? Like jump at me from behind?" she asked. "Yeah, something like that." he answered. "You keep saying 'they', you expect me to be gangbanged?" she asked in incredulity, earning a disgusted look on his face. "Helga! I'm serious here!"

"Well, so am I!" Helga said with a recognizable wrath in her voice before she stopped in front of Arnold yet again. "Arnold, I don't wanna hear anymore! I'm going to WrestleMania _alone_ and I'm going home _alone_, and unless you wanna try to stalk me then you can't do shit about it!" she added, her eyes filled with fire and something he knew far too well… something she'd call independence, and he'd call stubbornness.

"You're right; I can't control you. Just… Just be careful, please?" Arnold begged. Helga opened her mouth and lifted her hand, obviously ready to get into a complete hissy fit at this point, but then she started to bite at her lower lip, doing her very best to hold back. She then used the hand she had lifted to smack it against his chest, as if doing at least _something_. "_Fine_. I'll bring a freaking pepper spray if that'll help you sleep tonight."

"I-I doubt a pepper spray is more intimidating than your fists, but it's better than nothing." Arnold said as he couldn't help but notice that Helga hadn't moved her hand from his chest. "Fine." she said and used her index finger to poke at his torso a little roughly. "But if I actually _do_ find you stalking me this night, I'll cut your head off and hang it up in Mighty Pete for everyone to see."

Arnold gulped as he could easily imagine Helga doing something like that, or at least something resembling it. "S-Sure. I'll, uh… stay away. Just have fun… without having too much fun." He answered with a nervous chuckle. Helga snorted before she took a step back, crossed her arms again and smiled at him. "Thanks for worrying about me though. You're a sissy and a worrywart, but thanks."

"You don't have to thank me for worrying about you, Helga." Arnold answered with a smile. Helga smirked back a little bit. "You're right; you'd worry about everyone. What was I thinking?" she wondered aloud before she turned around and went inside the classroom. His eyes went a little wide at that. "Uh, no, that's not what I meant. I…" he said, but then gave up with a sigh. _Well, sure I'd worry about anyone, but… Oh, forget it._ He thought before he went inside as well.

* * *

"Worst… match… ever." Helga muttered under her breath and drew a very long sigh. It was around 12am, and she was on her way home from possibly the most boring wrestle match in her entire life. The winner had been settled from the very beginning; it was obvious who'd win and yet they kept going on forever and ever. To make matters worse, she had been seated next to a really loud and really rude guy who kept hitting on her – and calling someone loud and rude meant a lot coming from her.

"I guess going alone doesn't work anymore. Not when I'm used to Harold being around. I guess I'm going to have to find a new wrestle buddy… or a new anniversary date for those two." Helga muttered and went to grab her phone in her pocket. When she saw Arnold's name above the text saying 'new message', she couldn't help but rolling her eyes. _You sweet dope…_

As Helga opened the message, a loud voice interrupted her from reading it. "Hey, baby! Remember me?" it yelled in a slurry, half-drunken voice. She turned her head slowly around, as she noticed the guy she had been seated next to through the night, jogging towards her. _Ugh, great…_ She thought for a second, turned around and started to jog away from him. "Hey! Wait up! I just wanna talk!"

"Well, I don't have anything to say to you!" Helga answered with the usual scowl on her face, before she went to read her text: **Hey, Helga! Listen, grandma sent me to grab some last minute groceries for tomorrow's breakfast. Apparently, she has something very special planned. So, I'm actually near you. Want me to come pick you up?**

_Groceries, my ass, you just couldn't help yourself._ Helga thought with a loving smile and was about to reply, when she heard the man call at her again. "I wanna talk to _you_! You were really rude to me at the match!" he said. She was about to just start texting, when she felt a big hand grab her shoulder and swing her around. "Hey! Leave me the fuck alone or I'll cut your smaller head off!" she said warningly, stepped on his foot and then walked past him, on her way back towards the stadium where WrestleMania had just been occurring.

"Hey! You fucking bitch, I think you broke my foot!" the man called. Helga turned to look at him over her shoulder, noticing how he was jumping around as he held it. "Consider yourself lucky! If you don't leave me alone, I'll break the whole fucking leg!" she shouted at him, tapped at Arnold's number and put the phone to her ear.

"Hi, Helga! You're not… mad, are you?" Arnold asked, answering at the same second Helga had called him. "Besides you not taking orders and so obviously being so worried that you couldn't help but come pick me up? Sure, I'm not mad at you." she answered with seething sarcasm in her voice. "… Sorry. Want me to just go home?" he asked. "Uh…" she muttered and went to look over her shoulder again. "Actually, your timing is perfect. Some drunken dude has been harassing me all night. He's fucking annoying."

"Harassing you?! W-Where are you?" Arnold asked worriedly and went to put his seatbelt on. "I'm on my way back to the stadium. Can you pick me up there?" Helga asked. Her voice didn't reveal any sort of fright, but he could hear the slight edge in her voice. "Ok, I'm on my way." He said and started the engine. "Yeah, thanks. Uh, hurry up, will ya? He's a real pain in the - - Hey!" she suddenly shouted as some static could be heard on the phone.

"Helga? Helga! What's going on?" Arnold asked as he stopped everything else that he was doing besides holding the phone. "Get the fuck off me!" Helga yelled at the other side of the line. A male groan could be heard, and Arnold figured he had just been kicked or something along those lines. "I _told_ you that I'd break your leg if you came anywhere near me again! Get the fuck away from me, you bastard!" she continued to yell as something resembling struggling noises kept developing around her.

"Helga!" Arnold kept calling. He wanted her to answer him and in that moment, he really couldn't think logically. He just wanted to hear her telling him that she was just fine. That she was joking, that the guy was knocked out, _anything_. She never did. Before he knew it, a loud crash could be heard on the other line and then he was met with a beeping tone, indicating the end of the call. "Helga! Helga, answer me! Shit!" he shouted before he threw his phone away carelessly, not even noticing his violent exclamation and then took off like a bolt of lightning.

_Shit… Shit! Oh, for crying out… Please… Please, dear God, let me be in time! Make Helga punch him into a pulp! I'd rather pay for her to get out of jail than to see her being… being… Oh, fuck!_ Arnold thought in a complete frenzy and couldn't help but step on the speed pedal. It felt like his car was the slowest thing in the world. In a way it was; it was his grandpa's old, beloved Packard, but he could care less about breaking the gearbox or whatever he'd might do at this point. He just wanted to get to Helga… and fast!

* * *

It felt like it had taken forever before Arnold finally reached the stadium. It had taken roughly ten minutes, but that had been more than enough. He stepped out of the car and looked around. "Helga!" he yelled loudly, locked the car and stepped closer to the stadium. "Helga, where are you?! Helga?" he called yet again and looked around. Everything was dark, even with the streetlights on. Then he noticed something out of place. A small, pink, square thing, looking very much like…

"Oh, no." Arnold whispered when he realized that he was looking at Helga's phone. He jogged right towards it and crouched in front of it. With a shaky hand, he grabbed it. Yes, it had been turned off thanks to the fall against the pavement. "Shit… Helga!" he yelled even louder, hoping that if he somehow shouted loud enough for his voice to disappear, then hers would appear. There wasn't a soul nearby and he couldn't hear anything. Except for a small, whimpering voice that only lasted about a few seconds.

Arnold's head snapped right towards the sound. "Helga?" he asked carefully and started to step towards the sound. He could see a big, dark building, probably a regular condominium, but when he heard the whimpering sound again, he noticed a small alleyway. "Oh, God… No… No, no!" he prayed as he started to pick up his pace and was eventually sprinting towards the alley.

When Arnold reached the corner, he had to literally grab the building with his hand to stop his own legs from keeping on running. He looked inside the alleyway and noticed a small figure, lying up against the wall. The clothes on the silhouette seemed torn, practically shred apart. Some blonde locks were on the pavement, probably ripped off this person's skull. _Oh, God… please don't let that be Helga._ He thought pleadingly, not caring one bit that it seemed like a somehow selfish wish.

"Helga?" Arnold asked carefully and took a careful step towards the body. The head of the body moved gently and there was no way those blue eyes could belong to anyone else. "A-Arnold…?" a whimpering, completely unfitting voice said. _No…_ He muttered in his head and went to sit on his knees next to her. Carefully, as if she would crumble by the sheer touch of his hand, he went to remove a lock of her hair out of her face. In the dim moonlight mixed with the streetlights, he could see a black eye on her face. _Helga_'s face.

Arnold choked on his breath and his hand, that had touched her face, went straight to cover his own mouth. He was afraid that he'd either start cursing or crying if he didn't. "Oh, God…" he said in a muffled voice because of his hand, but then moved it and started to reach for her again. "Oh, God, w-what am I supposed to do?" he asked her, hoping he would gain a useful answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a small choke came out, followed by a bit of blood.

As he watched the blood trickle down from the corner of Helga's mouth, something inside Arnold snapped. "Fuck!" he exclaimed loudly and let his fist smack into the brick wall next to him. When he noticed her flinching a little at his violent action, his hand went to touch her shoulder gently instead. "S-Sorry… I, uh… oh, boy, look, we gotta get you to the hospital, ok?" he asked and went to grab her.

"No!" Helga screamed in terror and winced to get away from Arnold. He froze in the middle of his movement, his eyes wide and his breath caught in his throat. To see her cover in fear like that… it was tear-jerking to say the least. "Helga… it's me, Arnold. I'm here to help you, ok? I'll just carry you to my car then get you to a hospital. It's all gonna be ok, all right? Please…" he said soothingly. When she didn't say anything and thereby didn't object, he slowly went to sneak his arms beneath her already bend knees and her back. He could hear her wheeze a little bit and even if it broke his heart, he had to continue to pick her up.

Helga was so light in Arnold's arms that he almost got scared if this guy had beaten her up so badly that she had lost weight or something. It made no sense, he knew that, but he just wanted her to be ok again. When he reached the Packard, he stopped short. _Oh, what now?_ He wondered as he looked at her face. "Helga… I need to put you down for a second. Can you stand up?" he asked gently. Without a word, she started to move her legs a bit, signaling for him to put her down. He did so, carefully, but still held an arm around her waist to keep her steady. With quick movements, he grabbed the key in his left pocket, opened the door and helped her sit inside.

Arnold leaned inside of the car, grabbed the seatbelt and made sure she was seated safely. Before he went to his own seat, he took a look of her. One of her blue eyes now had a serious, dark circle around it, blood was running down her chin and if he had looked further down at that moment, he would have noticed that her hoodie was ripped a part, revealing most of her stomach and a big part of her chest. He didn't though as he simply wanted to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.

Arnold pulled his head out of the car, smacked the door gently and ran to the other side of it. He got inside of the car and turned on the engine, feeling as if he was moving purely on instinct at this point. He tried being careful as he drove towards Hillwood Hospital, but he couldn't help but look at Helga from time to time. During those times was also when he finally realized that her clothes truly had been ripped apart.

_Oh, God… Please be ok. Please survive. That son of a… Fuck!_ Arnold turned roughly on the wheel and stopped at the nearest parking spot at the hospital entrance. With shaky movements, he managed to get himself out of the Packard, run to her door and then he opened it roughly. "I'm grabbing you again, Helga." He said with brief warning. He then grabbed her firmly and pulled her out. Unlike the last time, she didn't struggle against him, which honestly worried him.

When Arnold had closed the door, he looked at Helga's face. "Helga?" he asked gently, but not a sound or breath came from her. "Oh, no!" he sneered with a worried frown and started running towards the hospital. He cradled her carefully in his arms as he practically kicked the door open and ran inside. "Help! Please help!" he yelled loudly, gaining a lot of attention around him. "Please help her!"

"What's happened?" a nurse asked as she came running, a couple of other nurses or doctors or whoever - Arnold didn't really notice what kind of people came towards him - following her. "I-I found her like this. She called me and some guy was after her." He tried to explain as one of the nurses started to look at her and touch her. He didn't know what she was doing, but whatever it was, he hoped they could help her. "Please help her…" he said pleadingly, gaining the nurse's attention. "Please?"

The nurse nodded at Arnold affirmatively and then grabbed something resembling a walkie-talkie or something like that. "Doctor Smith, please come down to the main hallway, we have a rape victim down here." She said into it. Arnold's eyes went wide. "_Rape_?" he repeated in disbelief. She looked at him with a slight frown, wondering how he hadn't noticed. She cocked her head gently to the side, gesturing towards Helga's pants before she resumed speaking in the walkie-talkie.

Arnold's eyes automatically went slowly towards Helga's hips and he gasped at the sight. The jeans were shred apart, much like her hoodie, but the big difference was the blood. There was blood on her inner thighs, and if he had readjusted his head a bit, he would've noticed that her panties matched the rest of her clothes. "Oh, God… p-please take her." He begged to a nearby nurse when he felt himself getting sick. The nurse took one look at his face, realized what was about to happen and grabbed Helga.

When Helga was out of his arms, Arnold turned around and ran out of the hospital. He then bend over and puked. The image of Helga like that would haunt him forever, he knew that, but mostly he just felt sick at knowing that _anyone_ could make themselves do something like that. To anyone. To _Helga_. _It seems so surreal… Helga Pataki can't be raped, the thought of her getting beaten up alone is insane enough!_ He thought with pure fury.

Arnold lifted arched his back and looked towards the street. He was shaking in the slight, fall-like cold as he lifted his hand to use his sleeve as a napkin. He didn't care how disgusting he felt; he could only think of how Helga felt. How any girl would feel. Then an ugly thought hit him… Something like this could tear any girl apart… but Helga… Helga was different; she had a sort of pride in her strength no other girl had. How would she take this?

Arnold wheezed loudly at the sheer thought of how… _broken_ Helga might feel once she woke up. He shut his eyes tight and felt something wet run down his left cheek. In anger at feeling so weak, when he was supposed to be strong for Helga, he wiped the tear away from his cheek. With a big breath, he forced all of his strength to stay within him and then marched right back into the hospital.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: **_**Not**_** sure what to say right now. It seems a little unorthodox to leave an author's note with this kind of ending… and at the first chapter even! Anyhow, please tell me what you think. I wasn't sure how much I should've written about Helga's 'situation' but I figured most people would be able to handle this. I didn't wanna write an actual 'scene' with that… Heck no xD**

**Oh, and also: I know nothing about locks on lockers… So I actually had to google it xD Does that combination make any sense? O.o**


	2. I know you're stronger than this

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Arnold had felt more than slightly worried when Helga told him that she would be going alone to this year's WrestleMania. In his worry, he couldn't help but drive near the stadium, when he knew the wrestling match would end. When she called him, he overheard her fighting with another man and he instantly went berserk as he looked for her.**_

_**When Arnold found Helga, she was beaten up, bruised and was left alone in an alleyway. In complete panic, he took her to the hospital where he was told that she had been raped. His whole world seemed to fall apart at that second, but with pure willpower, he managed to collect enough strength to keep himself together and stay with her.**_

**Author's 1st note: I'm suggesting listening to some emotional music when you reach the point of Arnold being alone with Helga in her room (around halfway in this chapter.) Not anything specific, just something that you consider emotional :3 I did while I wrote it, so I was getting really into it myself. Something instrumental would probably be best :P**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

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Chapter 2: "I know you're stronger than this"

"I _told_ you; that's all I know! Honest!" Arnold said in complete frustration at this point. This had been about the fourth time some nurse had approached him, not telling him that Helga was waking up, but yet again asking what exactly had happened to her. He knew that they needed every detail if they could, but it wasn't like he was right next to her when it happened! They kept on asking, and he – despite his gentle nature – was ready to explode in anger at this point. Why did they keep questioning him, when they should be helping Helga?!

"Listen… Arnold, right?" the nurse asked. Arnold nodded. "The reason why we keep asking isn't only because we're hoping for you to suddenly remember something… We're asking because a pair of police officers are on their way, and if you suddenly remember something while _they_'re questioning you, then your story won't fit with the one you've given us." She explained gently, hoping for the young boy to understand.

"This isn't a _story_, it's the truth, so there's no way I'm gonna change what I'm gonna say!" Arnold said as gently as he could, though such an action seemed to demand more from him in this moment than usual. The nurse's lips became two thin lines and she seemed like she was about to ask him yet again, which would probably have caused him to have a very Helga-like hissy fit. "Arnold Shortman?" someone asked, stopping the nurse from saying anything.

Arnold turned around and saw two police officers standing next to each other, their backs arched and their arms crossed behind them. They seemed very professional, and honestly a little terrifying. "Yes, that's me." Arnold answered without hesitation, turned his whole body around and approached them. They both offered their hands, and he shook them one-after-one and then went to sit down when he was suggested to.

One of the police officers pulled a notepad out of his pocket, while the other one sat down next to Arnold. "All right, Arnold. We're here to ask you some questions about what happened to Helga Pataki." The one who had sat down said gently, though Arnold could easily see through that fake exterior. He was being polite because he had to; it was obvious something was wrong with this continuous questioning. "Yes, I understand that." Arnold answered simply though, not wanting to try his luck with his current temper.

"All right. Then let us begin. Please tell us what happened tonight, what _exactly_ happened tonight, and not just tonight. If there's anything concerning this that happened during this day or yesterday, then please tell us that as well." The police officer requested and nodded to the one with the notepad. Arnold's eyes turned to the standing police officer, starting to feel slightly nervous about being questioned like that. He shook the feeling off though, since he knew this was for Helga.

"All right. Helga and I go to the same high school, we've known each other since preschool, so that's how I know her. Today we talked about the upcoming WrestleMania match and she told me that this year she'd go alone, since Harold, the one she who usually goes with, had to take a rain check. I told her to find someone else to go with her, but she wouldn't listen and then she went off on her own anyways." Arnold explained, though he didn't like his own words. It almost sounded like if he was blaming her for what had happened. He wasn't! Not at all! It was that… that… monster's fault… not Helga's!

"Why didn't you just suggest to go with her?" the police officer asked. "Well, firstly, she knows I'm not interested in wrestling, so she would've known I'd come along just to protect her, and if there's one thing Helga's not interested in, then it's protection from anyone else but herself." Arnold answered with a sigh. _I should've just forced my way with her instead… instead of lurking somewhere, hoping she'd let me drive her home._ He added in his head, but then turned his attention back to the police officer.

"But you _were_ at the stadium?" he asked with his eyebrow quirked. "Uh, yeah… I was worried about her, and I knew when the match would end, so I texted her, telling her that I was nearby and could drive her home if she wanted me to. She called me, told me that some guy had been harassing her all night, then… th-then I could hear her shouting at someone and then the phone went dead." Arnold explained, remembering the pink phone. "I-I have it right here." He added and pulled her phone out of his pocket.

The police officer took it, looking a little skeptically at it. "You have her phone? Why?" he asked. Arnold frowned a little at the accusing question. "Well, when I got to the stadium, I found it." He answered. "And where did you find Helga?" the police officer probed. "In an alleyway… a-already bruised up like that. The guy who attacked her was already gone when I arrived." Arnold replied and started to look towards the floor. _This is horrible… Oh, God, Helga's not gonna… she's not gonna be… is she?_

"So, Arnold, let me get something straight." The police officer said as he put Helga's phone in some sort of plastic bag. "Uh, yes?" Arnold inquired and looked up at him again. The police officer looked deadly serious as he leaned threateningly closer to Arnold, causing the teen to lean back a little bit. "You knew Helga would be alone tonight, correct?" he asked. Arnold nodded. "And you knew when the match would end, correct?" he asked. "Yeah, somewhat." Arnold answered, his frown getting deeper and deeper. "And you actually went to… _pick her up_ when the match had ended?" the police officer asked.

"Yes! Yes, I went to pick her up, because I was worried about her and look what happened, because I wasn't fast enough! What are you getting at?" Arnold asked with his eyebrows furrowed. The police officers looked at each other, had some sort of silent conversation for a couple of seconds, and then the police officer without the note pad went to stand up. "We're gonna have to take you with us to the station, boy." He said politely, but Arnold felt like his heart just dropped to his stomach. "The station? Why?!"

"While your story seems rather heroic, then it also seems a little too much, don't you think? You're the last one to have seen Helga Pataki before she was attacked, so we'll have to question you further at the station." The officer with the note pad now said and pushed the notepad into his pocket. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Arnold said angrily and stood up. "You want to question _me_? The guy who brought her to the hospital! Tell me, officers, why would I help her if I had just done such a thing to her?"

"It's a nice cover-up. Besides, we're thinking perhaps you weren't planning to go as far as you did with her. Please come with us." The police officer ordered and went to grab Arnold's arm. He stepped back though, feeling panic soar through him. "N-No! Please, don't waste your time with me! You need to help Helga! To find the one who did this to her! Every second you're wasting time questioning me, the smaller the chance of finding him gets! Please!"

"Excuse me?" a small, gentle voice said, causing the three men to look towards her. "Helga Pataki has woken up, and she's asking for Arnold." She added. Arnold's eyes got big and he didn't waste any time, before he bolted past the police officers and the nurse. He could hear them shout at him and even asking other patients to stop him from getting away, but he was much faster than anyone of them. He was a quick runner and he was working purely on adrenaline at this point.

Arnold found the correct room very soon, pushed the door open and sprinted into it. "Helga?" he tested and looked around. "Arnold…?" a small voice asked, causing him to whip his head around towards it. There she was; Helga Pataki, her whole body hooked up to a bunch of machinery he didn't know what was, her arms bruised and one of her blue eyes being so much darker than the other one. "Helga!" he said with a shaky breath. It was so surreal to see her that… weak.

Arnold took a couple of quick steps towards Helga, not noticing the slight panic in her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He did hear her gasp though and he instantly pulled away, thinking his grip had been too tight. "Oh, I'm sorry, Helga, I'm just…" he said worriedly, but stopped talking when he saw her facial expression. It was a mix of fear and… numbness? Her eyes were big and her pupils dilated, but they were glazed over and the rest of her face was frozen stiff. He sobbed for a second, but pulled his arm up to his mouth and nose to stop it. "I'm just happy to see that you're ok."

Helga closed her eyes gently and she seemed like if she was about to reach for Arnold, when a loud bang from the door snapped both teens back to reality. They turned their heads around, and were met with a pair of police officers holding their guns up. "Get away from her." One of them ordered, while the other went to grab Arnold. With a small gasp, Helga grabbed Arnold's hand, but it was pulled out of her grasp almost immediately.

"No! Let me go! Please! I would never hurt Helga! Please, listen to her! Helga!" Arnold kept begging the police officer to let go of him, but he just kept pulling him back and away from Helga, who didn't understand what was going on. Collecting all of her strength, she took a deep breath and shouted at them to stop. Everyone in the room froze, including Dr. Smith who was the one in charge of Helga and had just gotten into the room. As soon as Helga had shouted though, she started to feel nauseous and leaned forward, coughing up a little blood.

Dr. Smith went straight to Helga, pushing past the police officers after giving them a deathly glare and did her best to hold Helga up. "Wha… What's going… on?" Helga asked weakly, but she was fighting with all her might not to doze off or faint due to her pain. "Miss Pataki, do you know this man?" the police officer holding Arnold asked. Her eyebrows furrowed and she nodded, still not understanding what the source of such an odd question was.

"I told you! Let go of me!" Arnold ordered and swung his arms violently out of the police officer's grasp. He was grabbed instantly again though by the other officer. "In what way do you know him?" he asked Helga, whose frown got deeper and deeper. "Why?" she asked in confusion. "Was he or was he not the one who attacked you this night?" the police officer asked. Arnold rolled his eyes. _She'll be furious at them…_ He predicted and much as he had foreseen, Helga's scowl instantly appeared on her face. "_What_?" she asked with a sneer. "You can't be…"

Helga stopped talking, shut her eyes tight and then growled at the very back of her throat. "Are you telling me that the Hillwood police is so fucking useless that they think that the one who saved me is also the one to have raped me?! Are you fucking kidding me! Get out! Get out of here, and bring me some people who actually have brains inside of their skulls! Get out! I don't want you two to be on this case! Get out!" Helga repeated once more, struggling against Dr. Smith who was trying to calm her down.

The police officer instantly let go of Arnold, obviously with a little fright on his face. When he was released, Arnold started running towards Helga and stopped next to her, scowling at the police officers as well. He was happy. Just so very happy. Helga seemed like her usual self; she had even admitted to have been violated. He knew she would be ok… She had to be.

"We are deeply sorry for the misunderstanding." One of the police officers said and bowed a little in shame. Arnold nor Helga was entirely sure to whom they were apologizing to, but Helga was the only one to answer. "Just get out of here! Bring me some police officers who actually think before they act!" she yelled, causing both police officers to stumble backwards and out of the room. Arnold smiled, never realizing how happy he would be to hear her angry voice. He laid his hand on her shoulder, which made her flinch beneath his palm, but in his happiness, he didn't notice. "Helga, thank you so much. I'm glad to hear that you…"

Arnold stopped speaking, when he noticed that Helga's eyes were glazed over again. Her face looked… empty… and numb. "Helga? A-Are you… ok?" he asked gently and crouched next to the bed. He was looking gently up at her, but it seemed like she had lost herself in another world. "What's wrong with her?" he asked the doctor who was looking worried at her. "Perhaps I should speak with you outside." She suggested and patted Helga's shoulder gently. "I'll contact your parents and tell them to come and get you, all right?"

Helga didn't answer, didn't even nod, but it seemed like Dr. Smith hadn't expected her to do so since she simply let go of Helga and went towards the door. Arnold kept looking at Helga worriedly as he followed the doctor out of the room. "I don't get it. She seemed just fine a second ago." He observed with a frown and stopped next to the door as Dr. Smith closed it. She sighed a bit and turned to Arnold. "Arnold, yes? The boy who brought her here?"

"Y-Yes." Arnold answered with a small gulp. "Listen… I won't ask you what your relationship with Helga is, but you shouldn't touch her." Dr. Smith said coolly. Arnold's eyes went wide at that. "Wha… W-What? Why?" he asked dumbfounded. She sighed a bit and then removed the glasses from her face. She went to scratch her skull thoughtfully, looking more than a little tired. "Helga has experienced something more than a little traumatizing this night… No matter how much you may think that you're different and that you're the exception, then she won't accept any sort of physical contact from a man at the moment. I can't even tell you if she ever will again."

Arnold choked on his own breath at those words. "I-I didn't realize that… th-that… b-but… I don't understand. She seemed just like herself a minute ago! Sh-Shouting and scowling as usual… What happened?" he asked with slight panic in his voice. "She froze when you touched her." the doctor pointed out as she pointed her glasses at him, not accusingly, but simply matter-of-factly. He felt like fainting at this point. "But… B-But this is Helga Pataki we're talking about!" he said stubbornly, not capable of believing that she'd be scared of a mere touch form him "She's not scared of anything! Th-The mere thought of her being… being violated is ridiculous enough!"

"Yes, I know of her temper and her strength. I once met her a few years ago, when she came to pick up her mother with her father. Seems like she's inherited that bad temper from him, I presume? Nevertheless, she's… Something like this can truly change a woman, especially a young girl her age. She'll need all the support she can get; the problem with Helga is that she won't accept it."

"But… y-you heard her! She even used the word… r-rape… I-If she can do that, then she's accepting what's happened to her, right?"

"Not necessarily. Helga is well aware of what's been done to her, but that doesn't mean she'll accept it. She's a proud girl, right? To her, I'm guessing, the humiliation is worse than it would be with a regular girl. She won't deem herself weak by avoiding this horrible subject, nor will she be willing to talk about it. I believe she'll need you around, and yet if she wishes to be alone, you'll have to respect that wish." The doctor answered and then pulled her glasses on again. "No touching, be supportive, don't deem her frail and leave if she wishes for you to do so. Do you understand?"

Arnold nodded meekly, still not fully comprehending the doctor's words. "Very well. I'll be contacting her parents then. Please go inside and try to talk to her. No touching." She reminded him before she went through the hallway. He kept looking at the doctor, until she disappeared around the corner. Then he turned his head slowly to look at the door, which was keeping him from being in the same room as Helga. He took an unsure step forward and lifted his hand to touch the door handle. He froze though, uncertain of what to say to her when he got inside. He hadn't thought about such things before when he had run to her. He had just been so happy to hear that she was awake, but now…

Arnold shook his head, doing his best to remove the insecurities in his heart and went to open the door. He opened it slowly, so painfully slowly and peeked inside to catch a glimpse of Helga. She was laying down on the bed, her head turned to the right, away from the chair on her left. Without a word, he closed the door behind him and slowly approached her. He wasn't sure if she even realized that he was right next to her as he sat down, but he refused to be the first one to speak. He didn't want to force her to talk if she preferred to be quiet.

_What am I doing…? Helga wouldn't want me to be around her. She'd want Phoebe here; another girl and her best friend. Phoebe would be able to understand her much more than I will… I should call her. I… really should._ Arnold thought, but didn't move an inch as he did so. A small knock pulled him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at the door. "Uh… c-come in."

The police officer peeked his head inside carefully. "We've brought Helga's cell phone." He said gently and went inside the room. Without any other words, he placed it gently on the table next to Helga's bed, right in front of her face and then went outside again after a timid goodbye. Arnold sighed at the interaction, or rather lack of the same. She hadn't reacted at all to the police officer's words or the fact that she had just gotten her cell phone back. She just kept lying there, her head turned away from his.

Arnold wanted to say something. Some soothing words, a word of advice, anything to help Helga, as he usually did. He was always the one to help the people around him, always did his best to be of use to everyone. He had given Helga advice often as well. Despite her not having always agreed with his advice or even accepted it, she had always listened to him. He knew that she didn't truly hate him. She had admitted that as well, even before the whole FTI thing. In a way, this scene reminded him of that time.

Helga had told Arnold there was something she wanted to tell him, but had taken it back before she even told him. That being said, she still told him that he was an ok guy. He almost chuckled at the image; she had looked so shy saying something as simple as that. He had of course told her that she was pretty ok too, though that had been a lie. He liked her, he really did, and he just didn't realize that until much later. She was rude, cruel, perhaps even mean, but when she was kind, she was really kind. That was the mystery with her. How she was capable of having two faces like that was an enigma he'd never solve.

"Pathetic…" a weak, female voice muttered. Arnold's head snapped right up. He wanted to ask Helga, if it really was her speaking, but something inside his throat twisted when he saw her face. It was still numb. Just frozen in place like that, as if she was wearing a mask. She just kept staring up at the ceiling after having turned her head around a bit to look at it. Her pale lips were slightly parted and she opened her mouth a little more to speak again. "You're pathetic…"

Arnold frowned slightly in confusion. Was Helga going to take her anger out on him? He arched his back a little bit, believing he was ready for anything she might throw at him. Rather than her bottling it up, he'd become her punching bag if that'd make her feel better. When she continued to speak though, his confused frown returned. "You couldn't even handle… _one_ guy…" she added with a monotone voice. He hadn't expected that, so he blinked in bewilderment. "Hel… Helga?" he asked gently, but she didn't seem like she had heard him.

"You couldn't handle _one_ guy… one… _fucking_ guy. How pathetic are you…? How weak can you be…? One guy… One guy and you, and you… you lost… You're all talk… Swinging your fists around as if they were something to be proud of… Insulting people as if you were any better… Bragging about your strength as if you even had any… How… utterly pitiful… can a human be?"

Arnold started to frown deeply. "Helga!" he said pleadingly, hoping that the crack in the tone of his voice would make her stop talking. It didn't; she kept muttering such words to herself, scolding herself as if everything that had happened was her own fault, that she was weak for not having been able to fight back. It broke his heart to hear her giving her deepest thoughts a voice and to hear that her beliefs were so cruel.

"You're useless… You're of no use to anyone, not even yourself… If no one cares for you, then why can't you even care for yourself…?" Helga wondered aloud, not changing the tone of her voice whatsoever. It was still cold… and malicious. "Stop!" Arnold begged, feeling his stomach crumble with every word she said. Especially now, when she seemed to be smiling a little bit. He couldn't help but wonder if Phoebe had ever seen this side of Helga before? If she had often listened to her speaking this ill of herself?

"You really are of no use to anyone, huh…? Not even yourself… Not even _yourself_… Who'd care if you were gone? Your parents wouldn't… They'd still have Olga… They could be that picture perfect family like they always wanted to be… Like they could have been if you just hadn't… been born. If you hadn't been in their way… Like you are in everyone else's way… See where you have gotten yourself because of your phony pride and your make-believe strength…" Helga muttered and then started to giggle eerily.

Arnold shook his head violently and moved his hands up to his ears to block out the spiteful giggle of Helga. "Stop… Please stop! It's not true! You _are_ strong! You _are_! Helga, this doesn't mean you're weak!" he said pleadingly, but somewhere in his heart he knew she wouldn't believe him, even if she did listen to him. She didn't as she simply stopped giggling, her head rolling inhumanly from one side to the other.

"What's the matter… little brat? You're insisting that you're not that weak…? How can you not be weak…? Look at yourself!" Helga yelled in a tone much more familiar than the monotone voice. _She's going mad!_ Arnold thought in completely panic and desperately tried to figure out a way to calm her down, to stop talking to herself as if she was talking to someone else, to stop… to stop moving like that. Her head kept tilting to either her left or her right as if she had trouble keeping it in place.

"You're in a hospital bed… beaten… bruised… _raped_… by a man. A drunk man, who should have been even easy to push off. Why didn't you push him off? What? You couldn't…? How come? Why? He was just _one_ man, wasn't he? You have done worse to boys who didn't even deserve all the punches you threw at them. How could this man have been that much stronger than you? How could he violate you so easily and why did you stop fighting him?!" Helga asked herself and then her head finally fell forward and she let it stay there, her chin near her bosom.

"Stop, Helga! Please just… _stop_! Don't talk like that! Don't talk to yourself like that!" Arnold kept begging, but it was to no use. Helga kept her head down towards her bosom for a couple more seconds, before she lifted it again, her eyes now brimming with tears that refused to truly fall down. He gasped at the sight. Never… _Never_ had Arnold seen Helga cry… not at all. She was a person you suspected wasn't capable of crying, because she was so strong. Seemed so strong - _was_ that strong!

Arnold wanted to beg Helga not to cry. He knew it'd break him if she really did cry in front of him. He wasn't strong enough to see her like that, to see her so spiteful of herself, to see her hate herself that much for something she didn't have any control of. That was the problem; the lack of control. She wanted to control at least her own body, but tonight she hadn't been able to do that, and he knew it was eating her up on the inside.

As much as Arnold wanted to plead with Helga, to beg her not to cry in front of him… he couldn't bring himself to ask something so selfish. "Please cry, Helga… Don't hold it back. It'll only get worse if you do, so… please cry." He begged, hoping for her to do as she was pled to do. Her head slowly turned to look at him, the tears still refusing to run down her cheeks. "Why…?" she asked yet again and then took two rapid breaths as if she had forgotten to breathe for the last minute.

Arnold's hands, which were laid on the covers of Helga's bed, started to curl into fists as some emotion finally showed on her face. It wasn't the emotion he would've hoped for, since she still looked like she was ready to crumble into a million pieces. "Why couldn't I… fight him off?" she asked as her eyebrows started to twitch a little. He wanted to keep soothing her, but he didn't know what to say. His own eyebrows just twitched as he struggled with his own feelings.

"Why was I… weak… when I really needed to be strong…?" Helga asked Arnold, clearly not expecting an answer, since he continued to speak. "I'm always… _always_ shouting at everyone… taking my anger at myself out on everyone… telling them to stay away… and then when I need someone, I selfishly call you and pull you into this… Into this… mess. I'm… selfish, Arnold… I only accept people when I need them. I only want people around me when I can benefit from them… just like my parents do with me. I'm no better than them… I'm much worse… At least they can take care of themselves. I guess this is… karma."

"Stop!" Arnold begged once again, causing Helga to let her head fall down onto the mattress. He looked down at the back of her head as he could see her shoulders start to shake. "You don't deserve this! This isn't karma! Helga!" he begged and grabbed her shoulders. She gasped at his touch, but he just pulled her up anyways and forced her to look at him. "You are not weak! You don't deserve this! This man did this to you against your will! That doesn't mean you deserve it! You didn't deserve this!"

Helga started to shake her head violently and Arnold didn't know if she was telling him no or in what way she was telling him no. "No! Let go of me!" she shouted in a high-pitched voice, though she didn't try to push him away. "Then punch me, Helga! I know you can do it! You're the girl with the iron fists, if anyone can push a guy away it's you!" he said, feeling himself go mad at her not pushing him away as she should have.

Helga just kept shaking her head, screaming violently as if going insane. She was thrashing in Arnold's arms as he tried to hold her still to make sure she didn't hurt herself. That only made it worse, since she just kept swinging around like a lion in a cage, but still didn't lift her hands to strike him. He wanted her so desperately to hit him; he wanted her to prove to herself that she was still strong and that she hadn't transformed into some frail creature during only ten minutes of her life.

Arnold didn't even notice the shouts around him before he was pulled away from Helga. "Arnold! What are you thinking?!" Dr. Smith scolded as she and another doctor held him back and away from Helga. "No! Don't help her! Helga can push me away on her own! I know she can! She just needs to - - Helga!" he yelled, until he was finally pushed out of the room. "Go home!" Dr. Smith ordered and then slammed the door in front of him.

As Arnold heard Helga keep on screaming inside her room, he stood up from the ground and went to the door to bang at it. "Helga! You're stronger than this! You could've pushed me away! I know you could if you just… if you just…" he then banged his forehead against the door, stopped knocking on it and let himself slide down to the floor, falling onto his knees. His breath hitched in his throat and he couldn't help but grab his face into the palm of his hand. _I know you're stronger than this, Helga… I know you are…_

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**Author's 2nd note: Seems like the first couple of chapters were pretty emotionally heavy… Not all chapters will be like this, I promise, but this story will be an emotional roller coaster and scenes like this will occur again (by that I don't mean exactly the same, but I think you know what I'm getting at)**

**Can't promise when the next chapter will be up; that seriously depends on what my teacher will give us according to homework. We only had to read about 30 pages through this weekend – easiest homework since I've started this education xD – so I don't know what she's got planned for us next week :P**


	3. Now she was so weak

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Arnold was questioned beyond usual when two police officers seemed to think that he was the one to have raped Helga. She scared them off though when she found out about the questioning; causing Arnold to think that she hadn't suffered any consequences to what had happened to her.**_

_**After talking with Helga's doctor, he realized that he was wrong. Helga was definitely changing at each second and had a terrifying outburst at him, which caused him to try to force her strength back into her. All that resulted in was her starting to scream at him in fear and him to get kicked out of her room.**_

**Author's 1st note: Don't know what to say! Drama (well, something akin to it) is in the air of this chapter! I'm sorry, but it's only gonna get somewhat crueler from here. Don't worry! The tear-jerking parts won't continue forever!**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

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Chapter 3: "Now she was so weak"

Arnold didn't quite know what to do at this point. He was tired; so very, very tired, but he refused to go home until he had at least said goodbye to Helga and apologized. He had reacted on his bad instincts, as his grandpa used to call them, and he wasn't proud of it. He had just felt so… _frustrated_ at Helga acting so weak. It was downright creepy to see her act like that, especially when she wasn't truly like that. She was strong, so very, very strong, but it seemed like she had forgotten that fact. He just hoped she wouldn't forget it completely or he could at least remind her of it.

"Where is she?!"

Arnold flinched at the loud sound and looked towards the familiar voice. As he had figured, Bob Pataki was standing next to his wife Miriam, questioning some poor nurse who looked more than slightly flustered at being yelled at like that. "P-Please, Mr. Pataki, if you would just give me a second to check your daughter's name, then I can tell you what number her room - - "

"That's not good enough!" Bob interrupted as he slammed his fists onto the desk, causing the nurse to shriek in shock. "You have any idea who I am?!" he asked. "I am Big Bob Pataki! You should know the room number of a Pataki by heart and you have my daughter in here somewhere, which means you shouldn't have to _look it up_, you should just know it!"

"I-I know where she is, Mr. Pataki." Arnold said, deciding to help the poor nurse… who he just realized was the same one he had been shouting at earlier. _Well, I guess this can be my way of apologizing…_ He thought as he went towards Helga's parents. "Oh, hello… Alfred, right?" Miriam asked, appearing oddly energetic. She was usually so tired, though no one really knew why – well, except Helga perhaps, but it wasn't like she'd tell him anything. Perchance Mrs. Pataki was more of a night person? On the other hand, maybe she was simply too worried about her daughter do be sleepy? It was a nice, but not very likely thought. It was a miracle they had even bothered to show up really.

"Uh, no, it's _Arnold_." He answered politely, having gotten used to correcting both of them ever since he met them as a child. "Never mind that. Take us to her, boy." Bob ordered with a scowl on his face, looking much like the usual scowl on Helga's face. Hopefully not _former_ scowl. "Yes, sir." Arnold answered, glad to have found an excuse to go into Helga's room and apologize… or at least check up on her. "It's this way." He added and went towards Helga's room, her parents only two steps behind him.

"This one." Arnold said when they reached the door, about to open it. "Outta my way, kid." Bob said, shoved him aside and opened the door himself. Arnold stumbled into the wall and was about to frown at him, until Bob started yelling. "Ok, where are you, girl?" he asked angrily and looked around. Even if Arnold couldn't see it, he could imagine Helga looking at him in confusion. "Bob? Miriam?" she asked in wonder, initiating her parents to look towards her. "Oh, my sweet girl!" Miriam said worriedly and went to hug her. Helga flinched a little, but only because it was so foreign to her to be hugged by her mother. "Don't worry, sweetheart, everything's gonna be all right."

"What were you thinking?!" Bob asked angrily as Arnold dared to walk inside. Helga didn't notice him though as she simply looked at her father, still showing no emotion on her face as he continued to talk. "Going out in the middle of the night at your age! You were practically begging for this to happen to you! Have you ever heard of taxis, girl? We have the money for it!"

"Now, hold on!" Arnold said, not being able to hold back whatsoever. He noticed that Helga suddenly realized he was in the room and a bit of emotion showed on her face; fear, or at least something akin to it. He wasn't sure what she was afraid of; himself or Bob, but there was no way he could just stay out of this. "Mr. Pataki, please correct me if I'm wrong, but it almost sounds like you're blaming Helga for what's happened?"

"You're damn right I'm blaming her!" Bob answered without hesitation in his voice, which was almost more horrifying than the admission itself. Arnold couldn't believe his own ears; Big Bob wasn't known for his sensitive nature, but this was… Arnold didn't even know how to describe what he felt right now! He was just so… _angry_. "With that mouth on her, she probably provoked him until he snapped or something! This is why I don't want you to leave the house unless you're going to school." Bob added and turned to look at Helga, whose face had gone numb once again. "You're always getting yourself into trouble! Moreover, you can never get yourself out of them again, can you? _No_, you always need me to come and help you out of it."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Arnold said angrily and started to scowl at Bob, who turned to look at him. "You're damn straight I'm _not_ kidding! This girl's been nothing but trouble since she was born!" he answered and turned to look at Helga again, who seemed more and more numb at every passing second. It was creepy to look at; she looked like some sort of puppet at this point. "Why can't you be more like your sister Olga? She would've never gone out this late!" Bob added, causing Miriam's eyes to widen. "Bob, please!" she begged a little surprised, but it was nothing compared to Arnold's shock. "What?!" he exclaimed, throwing every single drop of good-hearted, patient nature out of his brain. "She's not supposed to be like her sister; she's her own person, not some sort of windup doll!"

"Who do you think you're talking to, boy?!" Bob asked with something akin to pure wrath. "I know who I'm talking to! A… A po-power hungry, money loving, deadbeat dad!" Arnold answered, matching Bob's wrath to boot. "What?!" Bob exclaimed in total shock. "You heard me! All you ever care about is money and your… stupid beeper shop! Newsflash: no one uses beepers anymore! Fo-Focus on your youngest daughter instead for once! She needs the support of her father right now more than ever, so… so start acting like one!" Arnold yelled. He even shook a little in anger.

"How dare you, you little brat?! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?! You have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter!"

"_Raise_ her?! You let her walk alone to her very first school day back in preschool! It's too late for _raising_ at this point! Tell me, do you even know anything about her?"

"What is there to know? She's a 15 year old girl; she barely knows herself!"

"… She's _18_!"

"What?!" Bob shouted and turned to look at Helga. "When did you turn 18?"

"About a half a year ago." Arnold answered on her behalf with a frustrated mutter. "I wasn't talking to you!" Bob said, completely infuriated at this point. "Get out of here! I don't even know how you know my daughter!"

"… I've known her since preschool, Mr. Pataki, and you've met me several times."

"… Oh, right; the orphan boy!"

Arnold flinched at that word. He could easily remember the first time Mr. Pataki had called him that; fourth grade, 'parents' day', during the egg throwing match. He had ended up with an egg thrown onto his oblong head; that's how shocked he had been. He remembered bouncing back eventually and even winning the competition… but having that word thrown at him had always haunted him ever since.

Arnold wanted to say something, he just didn't know what. He didn't have to though, since everyone's attention suddenly moved to something that had been sitting still until this point. Helga, with the same numb look in her eyes, swung her legs lazily out of her bed and stood up. "Helga, dear?" Miriam asked gently, trying to grab her, but Helga snuck out of her hands quickly. Arnold felt frozen when she came near him; it was as if that cold aura around her was contagious.

Helga slowly lifted her hand, put it on Arnold's shoulder, turned him around and then gently pushed him forward. He kept looking at her with big eyes as she steered him towards the door with lazy steps. When they got outside, she let go of his shoulder and closed the door. "Go home." She begged in a weak voice and looked at him. His pupils dilated at the pleading in her eyes; it was the only emotion there besides emptiness. "Before he says anything else." She added.

"But, Helga… I can't just leave you like that. Your dad, he's wrong! You know that, right?" Arnold asked, hoping for Helga to at least nod in agreement. She didn't. "Right?!" he asked again with slight anger. She looked away from him when he came closer. "Go home, Arnold." She simply said again, refusing to look at him. He knew this was a fight he'd lose; especially since he had already overstepped his boundaries. "I just want to apologize first." He said, hoping she'd listen to him. "I'm sorry… I-I should have just forced you to take me with you, and I should've been faster at getting to you, and I… I shouldn't have freaked out at you earlier."

"There's nothing to forgive, Arnold, this isn't your fault." Helga simply answered and turned around to go inside again. "Helga…" Arnold said in a pleading voice. "Go home. _Please_… and don't tell anyone about this." she requested and took ahold of the door handle. "I'd never do that!" he answered in surprise, but shut his mouth when her head turned around and he saw those dim, blue eyes again. "I know that…" she simply said, went inside and closed the door gently behind her.

Arnold took a step forward, as if to open the door and continue the fight he had been having with Bob Pataki, when his cell phone started vibrating in his pocket. With a small sigh after having looked at the door one last time, he grabbed his phone and started to walk through the hallway. "Hello?" he said in a tired voice, but woke up right away when he recognized the angry, panicky voice of Phil, his grandpa. "Arnold! Where in the world are you?! Your grandma is worried sick about you! You went to pick up your little blonde friend hours ago! Where are you?!"

Arnold wanted to calm his grandpa down, but he realized he was at a loss for words. How was he supposed to explain what had happened anyway? Being tired, confused and mostly hurt by this whole thing, he just said the first thing that came to mind. "Helga was raped." He stated simply, feeling emotionless all over his body; except for his legs which were moving purely on their own at this point.

"… What?! Your little blonde friend who always wear that pink bow?! How can she… but she's… Oh, that's why you haven't come home; you're probably with her right now, aren't ya?" Phil asked with an understanding tone of voice. "Yeah, but I'm on my way home now." Arnold answered as he stepped outside. The cold breeze was intoxicating, but it also felt like a slap to the face all things considered. "Oh, no, Shortman. Helga needs you; you can stay with her. It's Friday anyway! Well, Saturday by now, but you don't have school tomorrow, so stay with her." Phil answered, but Arnold just continued towards his car. "Her parents just got here and…" he said and sighed a bit. "Helga herself told me to go home."

"Oh… well, that's understandable; she's probably the kind of gal to want to handle this on her own, am I right? You want to… talk about it, when you get home?" Phil asked, but Arnold shook his head. "… Arnold, you there?" Phil asked, since he hadn't said anything. "Uh, no. I just… wanna head right to bed and sleep… if I can that is." Arnold answered and stepped into the Packard. "Fair enough, Shortman. Pookie and I will have to go to bed now; we almost feel dead at this point." He answered. "Ok. See you tomorrow then." Arnold said. "Goodnight, Arnold." Phil said and hung up.

Arnold sighed heavily and shoved his phone into his pocket. He let his head bang against the headrest and sunk a little into the seat. _This is hell… I hope she'll feel better by Monday. If not… then what am I supposed to do? I know me, she knows me… I won't be able to just leave her like that… but how am I supposed to help her with something like this…? I have no clue about how she feels! And there's no way she's gonna ask me for help herself. Then again, maybe she will, she's done a lot of not Helga-like things tonight… Oh, God…_

Arnold was about to start the engine when he noticed the doors into the hospital opening. He would've usually ignored such a small fact, except he recognized the family walking out. "Helga…" he muttered when he saw her. He could see her wrapped into her mother's arms as she supported her on the way to their car. Bob, on the other hand, was talking. About what, Arnold didn't dare to try to find out; he was honestly scared that he would freak out again. He just kept looking though, not able to contain his curiosity and nervousness.

Helga looked as frozen as she had done all night, despite Miriam obviously trying to comfort her. Big Bob just kept on yapping, and Arnold actually decided to make sure that his window was closed tightly. He just couldn't bring himself to risk hearing what he was saying. With no audience, who knew what he'd might say to her? Arnold banged his forehead onto the wheel in distress, causing the horn to make its sound.

Arnold, of course, jumped right back in shock, but he had already gained some attention from Helga and her family. They recognized him right away, that was obvious, but Bob simply continued talking, while Miriam nodded politely at him. Helga kept staring at Arnold with something akin to surprise. He kept gazing back at her, hoping she could somehow read his apologetic mind. She kept observing him as Miriam gently pushed her into the car and closed the door. It wasn't until Helga heard Miriam close her own front door in the car that she looked away from Arnold and down to the ground with something looking like shame.

* * *

Arnold wasn't even sure if it really _was_ Monday. The weekend has somewhat just flown by… all he remembered was thinking about Helga, wanting to call her, text her, but not daring to. He knew she wouldn't answer anyhow. He was just hoping, with all his heart, that she was acting somewhat normal now. If she wasn't; she wouldn't be able to keep what had happened Friday night a secret for long, and that was obviously what she wanted.

Almost as soon as Arnold had parked the Packard, he saw his best friend Gerald come running towards him, his black, tall, curly hair bouncing a little as he did so. "Arnold!" he yelled, loudly enough for Arnold to hear it through the window. He stepped out of the car and frowned at the somewhat panicked face on Gerald. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly and locked the car. "It's Helga." Gerald answered and that name made Arnold whip his head around. "Helga? What's wrong with her?"

Gerald frowned at Arnold's panicked reaction. "You know something I don't?" he asked. "Uh…" Arnold muttered and shook his head. "Uh, no, it's just… well, when it's about Helga, then it's usually something bad, right?" he suggested lamely. Gerald kept looking at him in skepticism for a couple of seconds, but then just nodded. "Fair enough. Well, this time, it's _really_ bad." He answered. _Oh, no…_ Arnold thought, took a deep breath and dared to ask in what way.

"I accidentally brushed my shoulder against her this morning… and _nothing_." Gerald said. Arnold frowned a bit. "Nothing?" he asked. "Nothing!" Gerald repeated. "I was ready to be beaten into a pulp, but she just kept on walking. She didn't even give me a sideways glance, a scowl or even a frown! She just… kept on walking… like some sort of zombie. I'm not invisible, am I?" Gerald asked which caused Arnold to simply frown at him in slight annoyance. "Gerald, this is serious."

"I know! How can Phoebe kiss me, if she can't see me?" Gerald asked with mocking panic in his voice. "Gerald!" Arnold scolded, causing the African-American to put his hands up in mock defense. "I'm sorry. I get what you're saying though… This Helga thing is freaking me out too." He said and let his arms cross in front of his chest. "Maybe she… just feels under the weather?" Arnold suggested, but Gerald just cocked an eyebrow at that. "When Helga Pataki feels under the weather, she gets _worse_! When we had just hit puberty and she started getting her periods, not even the _girls_ were safe from her, remember? Right now she… she's like a robot."

"Please don't… don't call her that." Arnold begged and looked towards the school. Gerald cocked an eyebrow yet again. "You _sure_ you don't know something that I don't?" he asked. Arnold hesitated for a couple of seconds, but then shook his head. "No. Not anything I can tell you at least." He answered. "Arnold!" Gerald chastised, since they usually told each other everything. "_No_, Gerald, this is _none_ of our business, ok? Just… Just leave her alone and be nice to her." Arnold explained shortly and then started to walk towards the school.

"Be _nice_ to her? Why?! _She_'s been nothing but mean to _me_, and that counts for you too, you know!" Gerald pointed out as he followed him. Arnold turned around and gave him a warning look. "Be nice to her, _please_." He said with a slight edge in his voice, which caused Gerald to put his hands up in defense again. "Ok, got it. Sensitive subject. I'll just leave her the heck alone." He said. Arnold nodded thankfully, turned around and continued towards the school yet again.

"What about Phoebe, does she know anything?" Arnold asked. Gerald took a couple of big steps and reached Arnold quickly. "No, she haven't been able to get ahold of her… Oh, wait, there they are!" he exclaimed. Arnold looked in the same direction as him, noticing Phoebe and Helga walking into the school. He started to pick up his pace to catch up with them. "Hey, wait up!" Gerald yelled at him, trying to catch up with him.

"Helga!" Arnold called as soon as he got inside of the school. Phoebe stopped and turned around to look at him, Gerald appearing right behind him at this point. Helga didn't move in inch though, she just kept standing there. Frozen. At least until Arnold was about to say her name again; then she started sprinting down the hallway. "Helga!" Phoebe called after her and turned to look at Arnold again. "Are you the reason she's acting this weird?" she asked. "No!" Arnold exclaimed, but then went quiet. "N-Not really, I think."

Phoebe just shook her head in confusion and started to run in the same direction as Helga. "Ok, Arnold, you obviously know something about whatever Helga's going through and therefore I'm not gonna pry in it, since it's _her_ business, but… could you _at least_ tell me if this is something that's gonna happen on a regular basis? Is she gonna continue acting like this?" Gerald asked as he crossed his arms.

Arnold wanted to tell him no, that this wasn't something that would happen again… but he forced himself to nod, which he noticed made Gerald's eyes go big. "You kidding! So this is the new Helga, this is the way she's gonna be? Some sort of frail little mouse?" he asked. "She is _not_ a frail little mouse! Don't call her that! She's gonna bounce back! She always does! She…" Arnold answered in slight anger, but then calmed down when he noticed Gerald' surprised expression. "She… has to."

Gerald blinked a couple of times and then gulped. "This is… serious… isn't it?" he asked gently. Arnold took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. He was feeling a headache grow in his oblong head and his hand went to his temple to rub it tiredly. "Her parents aren't dead, are they?" Gerald asked in a whisper, which Arnold snorted at. "Oh, please, if her parents were dead she wouldn't be acting anywhere near this." he answered. "So you're saying it's _worse_?" Gerald asked, still whispering. "For a girl like Helga with parents like that… _way_ worse." He answered with a sigh and started to walk again.

* * *

By the time it was lunch period, every single person in the school had noticed Helga's off behavior. "What is the _matter_ with her?" Rhonda asked some of the other girls from the usual gang. "I don't know, but she's freaking me out!" Nadine answered with a seriously freaked out expression. "You think something horrible has happened to her?" Lila asked worriedly. "I don't know! No one knows! It's not like Helga would answer us, even if we asked her!" Rhonda answered, looking just as freaked out as Nadine.

"Well, I'm ever so worried about her." Lila stated and turned to glance over her shoulder. Helga was currently sitting in a corner in the schoolyard with a little pink book placed on her lap. She was writing something down, but no one knew what. Despite her odd behavior, there was no way anyone would take the chance of trying to peek. "She just… sits there and… writes. You think it's a journal or something?"

"Maybe. Who gives a damn! I just wanna know what all the… _lack_ of fuss is about. She's so calm. She resembles a zombie even!" Rhonda answered, frowning deeply and stood up. "Where you going?" Nadine asked. "I can't stand it anymore; I _have_ to ask her." she answered and started to walk towards Helga. Lila and Nadine looked at each other for a second, silently agreeing to let Rhonda do the interrogation herself. If anything, Helga would probably just feel overwhelmed if all three of them started asking her.

Helga didn't really notice Rhonda approaching her, and when she did notice the looming shadow above her, she didn't acknowledge her presence. "Ok, Helga. What's going on?" Rhonda asked as she crouched in front of her. Helga's eyes went to look at Rhonda for a second, proving that she had heard her, but then her focus went back to whatever she was writing. "Helga! We're all really worried about you. You're acting creepy, you're not scowling and you're being… creepy! I demand to know what's going on!" Rhonda exclaimed.

Helga stopped writing, but she didn't say anything. Rhonda was hoping that she was considering telling her about what was going on, and she therefore moved a little closer to her. "I'll keep your secret." She promised, mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. She _was_ the gossip queen of the school after all; how could she possibly not tell everyone what was going on with Helga? Helga seemed like she was about to say _something_, when the voice of a common friend interrupted before she could say anything.

"Helga?" Arnold asked gently. The two girls looked up at him, Rhonda with annoyance, Helga with indifference. "Arnold, we're talking right now." Rhonda said in annoyance. "No, we're not. I was going to ask you to leave, Rhonda." Helga answered, causing the black-haired girl to stare at her in disbelief. Helga just ignored her though and continued to look at Arnold. "What do you want?" she asked. "Uh… well, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" Arnold asked, hoping that Helga was telling the truth about him not interrupting.

Helga seemed hesitant, while Rhonda looked curious. "Is it about what I think it's about?" Helga asked. Arnold hesitated for a second, but then nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is what you think." He answered; nervous that it would make Helga not want to talk to him. She seemed thoughtful for a couple of seconds, but then she closed her book and stood up. "Hey, hold on!" Rhonda said and stood up as well. "You wanna talk with _Arnold_, but not with me; another girl?"

"Gender has nothing to do with this, Rhonda. Go back to the other girls." Helga answered and walked past Arnold, signaling him for joining her. "Uh, sorry, Rhonda." Arnold said briefly and started to follow her. Rhonda frowned and crossed her arms in resolution. "Yeah, me too." She answered with a seething voice and jogged towards her friends. "Hey, girls." She said in a whisper and bend in-between them. "Arnold knows what's going on, and he's gonna talk with Helga about it now. Come on!"

Nadine stood up from the table instantly, while Lila paused. "Wait. What? You're planning to eavesdrop on them? Rhonda, that's ever so mean!" she exclaimed in shook as she stood up. "How else are we going to find out what's going on?" Rhonda asked. "But, Rhonda…" Lila said uncomfortably. "Hey." Rhonda said and put a hand on Lila's shoulder. "We can't help Helga if we don't know what's going on, and she won't tell us herself, right?"

Lila still looked a little doubtful, but followed Rhonda and Nadine anyhow. It didn't take the girls long to find Arnold and Helga, since they had been walking rather slow. They had gone inside of the school and sat down on the stairs, giving the girls a perfect place to hide at the floor above them. "Ok, Helga, uh…" Arnold said and started to scratch the back of his head in nervousness. Helga seemed unaffected by that though. "Ok, I don't know how to ask this, so I'll just ask it, all right?"

Helga nodded slowly, giving Arnold green light to ask her about whatever it was. "Uh… it was just something I suddenly realized earlier… Since Friday night, then have you talked to any other police officers?" he asked gently. Helga blinked a couple of times, but then shook her head. "No. I'm going to the police station today though. It was the weekend, so… I kinda just wanted to be alone, you know?" she answered. His eyes opened a little more at that. "Oh… so, you're planning on reporting him?" he asked, which she frowned at. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" she asked. "No reason!" Arnold asked, putting his hands up in front of him. "I _definitely_ think you should report him. I was just… a little scared that you'd might not… want to, you know?"

"Arnold… I'm not insane. This guy has probably done the same thing to other girls as well or will in the future. I'm not risking him hurting other girls just because I'm scared or something." Helga answered. "I mean… I _know_ I looked crazy Friday night… Speaking of that, I'm… sorry… that you had to see me like that. That you had to be… a part of this in general. I mean… _I_'m the idiot; why do you have to suffer too? I can't imagine how scary it must have been for you to see me like that."

"Sure it was scary, Helga… because I care about you, but this isn't _your_ fault, and more than anything, I'd wish you'd tell me that you know that."

Helga didn't answer, but simply stood up. "Anyways, don't worry. I'm going to the police station to report him today." She said. Arnold sighed a bit at her evasive change of subject, but decided to let her avoid if it she wished to. "Want me to come along?" he asked as he pulled himself up. She looked questioningly at him. "Why?" she asked in complete wonder. "Well… so you don't have to do this alone?" Arnold suggested. "So that… that you know that I'm here for you?"

"You've always been there for me, Arnold, I know that. Even when I don't deserve it." Helga answered. Arnold could almost hear the inaudible words 'which I never do' appear on her lips, but she never said them. "Anyhow, if it'll make you feel better, then you can come along. It's probably gonna be boring though, since you pretty much know what he did to me already." she added. His eyes went wide. _Did Helga just…_ He was in complete awe. Helga had just accepted his help, something she'd usually be too proud to do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or cry at that fact.

"Ok, so… we'll meet up outside the school when the last lesson is over?" Arnold suggested. Helga nodded in agreement and started to walk past him. He followed her slowly and started to walk up the stairs with her. As they did that, he could've sworn he heard other footsteps up higher, but when Helga didn't seem to hear the same, he figured it must've been in his head and he continued to walk her outside.

"Did you just hear that?!" Rhonda asked in wonder, when Arnold and Helga had gone outside. "Yeah! You thinking what I'm thinking?" Nadine asked with big eyes. Rhonda nodded, while Lila just kept covering her mouth in complete shock as she had been doing for the last minute. "Helga was raped!" Rhonda and Nadine exclaimed in unison, both girls not able to believe what they had just heard. "Oh, dear…" Lila said and shut her eyes tight. She couldn't believe it. Not that Rhonda and Nadine could either, but Lila's heart was almost breaking at this point. She had never felt bad for Helga until now; she had always looked up to her a little even, because she was so strong. Now she was… so _weak_.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Now the school's gossip knows what happened. That can't be a good thing.**


	4. This means war

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Arnold snapped at Big Bob Pataki, when he heard him blaming Helga for what had happened that particular evening. It resulted in him being asked to leave by Helga, who didn't want to risk him getting hurt any further by Bob. Being called an orphan once had already made quite an impact on him and she knew that.**_

_**It didn't take their peers long to realize that Helga was acting very oddly Monday morning. Rhonda, the school's gossip queen, even went to question her about it, but Helga was pulled away by Arnold. What the two blondes didn't know, was that Rhonda, Nadine and Lila went to eavesdrop on what they were talking about, thereby finding out that Helga had been raped.**_

**Author's 1st note: I've been wondering something… No one's really been questioning the last sentence in the summary of this story. Did I manage making it really subtle, did no one think about it or did no one dare to try to guess what I meant with 'someone else'? I'm curious! Who or what do you think this 'someone else' is? xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 4: "This means war"

"Well then, Miss Pataki, please tell me exactly what happened that night… if you're sure that you want your friend to be here?" a police officer asked as he gestured towards Arnold. The teen himself turned to look at Helga, not really sure what kind of an answer to expect from her. She turned to look back at him. "I'm not gonna censor myself, so if you can't handle it, you're free to walk out." She answered with a slightly warning tone. He gulped at that answer, took a deep breath and nodded. He hoped with all his might that he could stay in the room and support her.

"Well then. Please begin, Miss Pataki." The police officer said and grabbed a pencil; ready to write down whatever the young girl would tell him. "That's not necessary." Helga said and grabbed her bag from the floor. Arnold and the police officer looked at each other questioningly, as if they expected the other one to know what she was talking about. She put the bag onto her lap, rummaged through it for a second and then grabbed a small, pink book. The same one she had been writing in earlier, Arnold noticed. "Here. I've been writing the whole thing down, since… since I formulate my sentences better on paper." She explained briefly and handed the officer the book.

As Helga placed the bag on the floor again, the police officer started to read. "Beautiful handwriting." He observed with a slight smile. "Thanks." Helga answered briefly, not seemingly affected by the compliment. Not that she usually was, but she didn't usually say thanks either. Arnold noticed that the smile on the police officer's face disappeared. "But not very fitting with these sort of words…" he muttered, mostly to himself, but Arnold saw that Helga rolled her eyes and shifted a little in her seat in discomfort.

The silence in the air was more than a little eerie as the two blondes waited for the police officer to finish reading. By the time he did so, he took a shaky breath, even shook his head a little as if to get rid of all sorts of horrid images in his head and placed the book down on his desk again. "Well, Miss Pataki… thank you very much for writing all this down, it'll help us immensely and… thank you for… being able to paint quite the picture." He said with a slight gulp and took a shake breath again. "You ok?" Helga asked indifferently, but Arnold could've sworn he could hear a little bit of her usual mocking attitude. "Yes, thank you." the police officer answered.

"Helga…" Arnold said with a small voice, somewhat hoping for her not to hear him. She did though and turned to look at him. "Yeah?" she inquired. He took a deep breath. "Can I… Can I, uh… I-If it's not too much to ask…" he muttered and started to scratch his neck in fluster. Helga blinked a couple of times and then grabbed the pink book. "You won't be able to handle it." She answered, knowing much too well what he was hoping for. He looked at her in surprise, but then arched his back in resolute. "If I may, then I want to read it." He answered. She blinked a couple of times, but then tossed the book at him. "Knock yourself out." She answered. She eyed him as he opened it and started to read it.

"While your friend reads, Miss Pataki, then can we talk about the man who did this to you?" the police officer asked and grabbed his own notebook and pencil again. "You can call him what he is, officer, you've just read my version of what happened; I'm not scared of the words rape or rapist." Helga answered and leaned back in her seat. The officer coughed a little uncomfortably. This girl in front of him was nothing like the usual victims of rapists he had ever come across; and unfortunately, he had come across quite a few even in such a small town as Hillwood. She made him really uncomfortable, because she was so honest about what happened. Moreover, as he had mentioned, she really knew how to paint a picture in her writing.

"Then can you describe what he looked like?" he asked. "Caucasian. Short, brown hair. Brown eyes. Uh… only slightly taller than me. A noticeable bump on his nose. Perhaps a broken leg, since I kicked him in his popliteal." Helga answered, which the police officer couldn't help but smile a little at. "Yeah, I figured by your description of what happened." He said. "He should be easy to find. My seat at WrestleMania was A7, and he was on my left, so his seat was A8. We were sitting at the very front and he was loud as hell; there's no way no one didn't noticed us." She explained further. "Well, that makes this much easier. I'll call the stadium and ask for his name and then we'll call him in." the officer said and went to grab his phone.

"Do I have to be here for that?" Helga asked. "Well… when he comes in, we'll ask you if you're sure it's him, but we already have the DNA evidence against him, so…" the police officer answered. Helga blinked a couple of times. "So?" she inquired with a bored expression. The police officer looked thoughtful. "It probably would be better if you'd come in again when we've got him, so you can identify him." He answered and went to dial the number for the stadium.

"Oh, God." Arnold stated rather casually, put the book gently on the desk and then bolted out of the room. Helga looked at him with nothing akin to surprise and looked towards her book. She noticed a page being slightly crumbled, and she wasn't surprised at seeing he had reached the words 'dug his nails into my breast' and then folded. She could even feel the nails digging into her breast as she read the words herself. She shook the feeling off though and simply waited for Arnold to come back or for the officer finishing his call.

* * *

It wasn't to Helga's surprise that the officer managed to get ahold of the name of her rapist before Arnold returned; which he didn't. "Thank you for your corporation, Miss Pataki; we'll call you when we have him in custody." The police officer said and wondered if Helga was so different from other girls that he could shake her hand without her flinching? He decided to give it a go and offered his hand to her. To his slight surprise, her body jumped back a little bit, but her face remained unaffected. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, wondering if no matter how different a girl may handle being violated, then the contact with men would always be a taboo?

Helga shook her head in dismissal and then turned around to walk out of the police station. She just wanted to get out at this point. Not home - just out. She didn't really know where to go though. She just knew she didn't want to go home. When she got out into the cold air, she started to shake a little. "Helga?" a male voice asked, causing the blonde to look towards it. "Arnold?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you'd left."

"No!" Arnold answered and stood up from the pavement. "No, I… I just needed some air, but I wouldn't just leave you." he added and shoved his hands into his pockets as he approached Helga. She blinked a couple of times, but then started to look down at the ground. "Oh, uh, thanks. I… don't really know where to go right now though." she muttered and looked towards the direction of her house. Arnold frowned at that and looked in the same direction as her. "Well… if you want to we can go and grab a cup of cocoa or coffee or… whatever?" he suggested, having a feeling that he knew exactly why she didn't want to go home.

Helga seemed to consider the pros and cons of accepting Arnold's suggestion. It didn't take her that long though since it was either that or being alone, so she nodded at him. "Sure." She answered and started to walk towards Slausen's ice cream parlor. Arnold couldn't help but bounce a little as he followed her. The last time they had been at Slausen's, it had been when this school year had just begun… which was about a week ago, but the last time he and Helga were there alone was back in fourth grade. April Fools' day, he just remembered. As horrible her pretending he had made her blind was, it ended up with the both of them and the rest of the class swimming in the pool at the school dance, so it had been quite fun in the end.

* * *

"I'm so glad Slausen's decided to start serving hot drinks too." Arnold stated with a big smile on his lips as he grabbed his mug with cocoa. Helga nodded in agreement, as she grabbed her own. "Yeah, me too." She answered and took a sip as she started to walk through the shop. Arnold followed her like a puppy, not at all caring where they would end up sitting. Wherever Helga felt the most comfortable was fine. Apparently, she felt most comfortable at the corner table; the one furthest away from all the other customers. He hoped it meant she wanted to talk privately with him, rather than her feeling scared around other people.

Helga didn't say much though and Arnold didn't dare trying to start a conversation himself. What could they possibly talk about anyhow after where they had just been to do _that_? It wasn't really awkward as much as… something similar to awkward, but less. Arnold just observed Helga as she drank her cocoa; noticed how gently she looked as she did so. Mostly she looked out of the window, the already darkening sky giving her an orange gleam.

It was weird; Arnold had always insisted that she was appealing in her own way and while he had been honest when saying so, he had never quite considered her beautiful as such. Charming, no doubt, but beautiful? Not until he saw her like that. Perhaps she looked beautiful now, because the last time he saw her, she had been a complete mess – understandably. Right now, she looked almost peaceful, all things considered.

Finally, Arnold decided to say at least _something_. "Helga…" he said gently, but she still flinched a little at the sudden mentioning of her name. "Uh, yeah?" she muttered and shook her jitteriness off. "Uh, well… that pink book… I noticed you've been writing in it all day. Did you really only write about what happened Friday night?" he asked. She blinked a couple of times. "Uh… yeah? Why?" she asked. "Oh, it's just… Uh… I-I've just noticed through the years that you write a lot in those pink books, so… I guess I was just… curious. Ignore me." He said rapidly and then grabbed his mug to drink his cocoa, covering his mouth so he couldn't dig his grave any deeper.

When Arnold opened his eyes though, Helga was giving him a funny look. "You… You've noticed me writing in those?" she asked in slight disbelief. He swallowed the cocoa in his mouth and nodded warily, not sure why she was questioning that. "Oh… w-when did you notice?" she asked. "Uh… not sure _when_. I just noticed, you know… Uh, you've been writing in them for as long as I can remember, now I think about it. What do you write in those?" he asked.

Helga's eyebrows jumped a bit, but then her face showed no emotion yet again. That small flinch did catch Arnold's attention though. _What does she write in those…?_ He thought and dared to ask her again. "If you don't mind telling me, then I won't tell anyone, if… if that's what you're worried about." He explained. She just looked away though and started to gaze outside the window. "You're the _one_ person I wouldn't want to know…" she muttered in response. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear her, but he did and it stung. _A lot_.

"Oh… s-sorry. I shouldn't have pried." Arnold said and started to sip from his mug again. _I'm an idiot. Why would she tell me such a thing? It's probably a diary or something, and she's embarrassed to admit that even she writes those. I'd like to think that's the reason at least…_ "Uh, no. That's not what I…" Helga muttered and readjusted herself a bit. Arnold looked up at her again, hoping for her to continue. She let her eyes meet his and then continued to talk. "I didn't mean it like that… W-What I write in those are… It's, uh… not diaries or anything, but… they're private. I wouldn't want _anyone_ to read them."

"Well, that's understandable, I guess. Sorry. I was just a little curious." Arnold explained apologetically. "That's ok. I would be too." Helga replied and looked out the window again. _There she goes again…_ He thought in slight annoyance. "Really? That's it?" he asked, not able to hold back though he wanted to. She frowned a bit and looked back at him. "What is?" she asked. "I'm just a little surprised…" he said, slightly accusingly. "Usually you'd tell me to mind my own beeswax, scowl at me and then leave…"

"You complaining?" Helga asked. Arnold frowned at that. "Yeah, actually, I am." He answered. "You want me to leave?" she asked and grabbed her bag in a demonstrative way. "No! That's not what I'm saying at all. It's just… It's creepy seeing you so… monotone." He answered. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that me getting raped is affecting _you_ this much." She said in a slightly seething tone, almost sounding like herself for a second. He felt his breath catch in his throat and he felt like crawling into a hole. "I'm…" he muttered and then put the mug down and placed his face in the palm of his hands. "I'm sorry… I just don't know how to… how to deal with this."

"I already apologized for pulling you into this, Arnold, what else am I supposed to do?" Helga asked with a small shrug. "Nothing!" Arnold answered and looked up at her again. "Nothing, Helga, I just want to help you, but I don't know how…" he explained. "Hey, I don't know either. I barely know how to help myself; you think I know how _you_ can help me?" she asked and looked out of the window yet again. This time, he did the same thing. He was wondering if she was looking at anything specific, but it didn't seem like it. She was just… gazing at other people. As if she was an outsider looking in.

"Anyways… Thanks for asking me if I wanted to come here, but I need to go home and… yeah, just go home, I guess." Helga said, took one last big sip of her cocoa and then stood up. "W-Want me to walk you home?" Arnold asked and stood up as well, forgetting all about his cocoa. She eyed him for a second, then shrugged and grabbed her bag. "Sure. Thanks." She answered and swung the bag over her shoulder. This was at least something she went along with usually. He shouldn't have felt this happy about something so simple, but he did. He couldn't really explain it, but walking home with Helga always seemed to be therapeutic for whatever troubles they had during their childhood.

* * *

It wasn't that easy this time. Not that Arnold had expected it to be, but he might have hoped for a slight change just a little bit. When he and Helga reached her house, Bob seemed to be on his way out. "Oh, great." Helga whispered and seemed as if she was about to turn around and hide, until Bob noticed her. "Helga? Didn't you get off school hours ago?" he asked with a frown and started to walk towards them.

"You know what?" Helga whispered, obviously only for Arnold to hear. "Ever since Friday night… Bob hasn't called me Olga." She added. Arnold frowned at that. He knew exactly what she thought was the reason for that, and unfortunately, he had a feeling that she was right; the difference between her and Olga was too big to ignore now, so there was no way Bob would mistake Helga for Olga anymore. Arnold felt like punching the wall next to him in pure anger.

"I went to the police station, Bob, and then Arnold and I went to Slausen's." Helga explained matter-of-factly, but seemed to start cowering slightly behind Arnold as Bob approached them. "You went with her to the police station? Why?" he asked and put his hands to his hips. "Uh… kindness?" Arnold suggested, an obvious edge to his voice, but he seriously tried to hold back. _Somewhat_.

"Don't play snide with me, kid; I haven't forgotten about the way you spoke to me Friday night." Bob said warningly. "Good." Arnold replied. "Don't start." Helga whispered in his ear and tapped at her father's shoulder. "Weren't you on your way to an important meeting, Bob?" she asked. "Oh, right!" he exclaimed, turned around and forgot everything about his youngest daughter and her friend. "By the way, Miriam's feeling a little under the weather! Mind taking care of her? Thanks!" he called just before he got into his Mercedes.

"_Feeling under the weather_ he says as if it's anything new." Helga muttered and started slogging towards her house. "See you tomorrow, Arnold." She added. "Wait! Your mom is feeling under the weather? Want me to help you take care of her or something?" Arnold asked, hoping to spend just a little more time with her. "Arnold, you're dense; we all know that, but my mom isn't feeling under the weather. If you think about it for a second, I think you'll realize what Bob meant. See you tomorrow." She simply answered, opened her door and went inside.

_Why am I dense this time?_ Arnold wondered with a frown and started walking towards his own house. _If Miriam isn't seriously feeling under the weather, then what was… Oh, I'm an idiot._ He declared, when he realized what Bob had meant. At least now he knew that 'under the weather' in the Pataki world meant hung-over like a pumpkin after Halloween.

* * *

Arnold hadn't really expected the following morning to be like the morning before; with Gerald running towards him as soon as he had parked the Packard. "Arnold!" he yelled and waved. Arnold couldn't help but frown at him, since he didn't seem happy to see him. Something told him that it wasn't because Gerald was displeased about seeing him, but probably because he had to tell him something displeasing. "What are you looking so worried about?" Arnold asked.

Gerald went to a sudden halt when he reached Arnold, almost knocking his blonde friend into the car door due to his speed. "Whoa-whoa-whoa, calm down! Where's the fire?" Arnold asked as he held up his hands in a form of self-defense. Gerald took a couple of rapid breaths before answering. "Around Helga." He then answered. Arnold's eyes went wide. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Not literally, man! What I mean is… O-Ok, we agree that you know what happened to her as the only person, right?" Gerald asked. "… Yeah?" Arnold dared to answer and then held his breath as Gerald continued to speak. "Well… the thing is… There's a rumor going around about Pataki."

"… What kind of rumor?" Arnold asked, already feeling like vomiting at the mere thought that other people might know about what had happened last Friday. "… That Pataki was raped." Gerald answered in a very low voice, his eyes staring into Arnold's intensely. Arnold's hands went straight to Gerald's upper arms. "Where did you hear that?!" he asked angrily. "So it's true?!" Gerald asked with a shocked expression. Arnold started biting at his lower lip and then nodded as he let go. "Yeah… but if anyone asks, you don't know anything, got it?!"

"Oh, my God!" Gerald exclaimed violently as his hands went to his head in disbelief. "How is that even possible?! Who did that to her; a freaking mutant or something?! Is he still alive?" he asked, somewhat serious and somewhat joking. "Yes! Now, Gerald, who told you about Helga?" Arnold asked as calmly as he could, but he was already feeling his fuse shorten at this point. "I just don't believe it! Helga Pataki! If there's one girl in the world I never would've imagined this kind of thing happening to, it's Helga Freaking Pataki!"

"Gerald!" Arnold shouted, causing the African-American to turn at him. "Huh?" Gerald asked, still seeming as if he was in utter shock at what he had just been informed. "Where did you hear about Helga?" Arnold asked yet again. "Nowhere!" Gerald answered. "Gerald!" Arnold scolded. "No, seriously! It's a running rumor; everyone's talking about it. I just overheard." Gerald explained. "Oh, fantastic!" Arnold shouted with seething sarcasm in his voice and started to run towards some of their peers. "Everyone is walking around talking about Helga as if she's something from a magazine with no feelings! Hell no if I'm gonna let them!"

_Did Arnold just say hell?! And this weird day has only just started!_ Gerald thought as he followed Arnold, who was heading towards Sheena and Eugene. "I just can't believe it." Eugene said in disbelief, with his hand rubbing his temple. His eyes were big and almost a little watery, just like Sheena's were. "It's so awful! Yet she's just walking around, pretending nothing happened to her. She really is strong; I wouldn't be able to get out of bed!" Sheena concurred with a small sniff.

"Sheena! Eugene!" Arnold said and stopped in front of them. "Oh, good morning, Arnold." Sheena said before she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Have you heard the horrible news?" Eugene asked. Arnold growled a bit in annoyance. "They're not true, Eugene, and please tell that to anyone who might mention this to you. Now, who told you guys this?" he asked. "Not true? But Helga was overheard talking about it with you." Sheena responded in confusion. Arnold's eyes popped open. "What?! We haven't talked about…" and then he remembered their conversation yesterday at the stairs. "Oh, no… No, no, no… Wait! Who could possibly have overheard that?"

"Well, I heard it from Sheena." Eugene said. "A-And I heard it from Stinky." Sheena added. "Thanks, you guys. If anyone asks, the rumors are _not_ true, got it?" Arnold begged and turned around to run towards where he suspected Stinky would be. "Wait!" Sheena and Eugene said in unison and each grabbed one of his shoulders. He turned his head around to look at them. "You just said that someone overheard you!" Eugene reminded him. "That means it's… true, right?" Sheena asked with slight horror. Arnold frowned at them. "If anyone asks it's _not_ true!" he simply answered, shook their hands off and started running.

Arnold didn't notice that Gerald wasn't following him anymore; he had stayed back with Sheena and Eugene, none of them understanding anything that was going on, but all agreeing to do what Arnold told them and even went to try to stop the rumors immediately – though they all had a nasty feeling that it was far too late. Arnold, on the other hand, didn't think of the possibility or rather lack of the same of it being too late or not; he was still going to give it his best shot.

It was easy finding Stinky; he was standing together with Sid and Harold around the containers, just chatting before class would start. "You guys!" Arnold called and picked up his pace a little. The boys looked at him. "Hey, Arnold!" Sid greeted with a small smile. "Good mornin', Arnold." Stinky greeted. Harold, on the other hand, didn't say anything. He seemed ashamed of something, and Arnold knew why. If these guys had heard the rumors about Helga getting raped, they also knew it was Friday night; the night he was supposed to have been with her at WrestleMania. For a second, thinking just that, Arnold got mad at him. It was only for a second though, since he knew it wasn't Harold's fault at all. He was just mad in general at this whole thing.

"Hey, guys. Where did you hear this thing about Helga?" Arnold asked, feeling slightly tired from running around like this so early in the morning. Sid choked on his cigarette and Stinky started to clap his hand on his back, though it didn't seem to help. "So it's true?!" Harold asked, his eyes dilated in shock. Arnold couldn't help but scowl slightly at him, but he shook that unfair face off instantly, since Harold genuinely seemed concerned. "No! It's not true!" he answered stubbornly and turned to look at Sid and Stinky as well. "That's why I'm asking you where you heard this from; I'm trying to stop this rumor."

"Wait, hold on! I was told by Curly that you were talking _with_ Helga about this." Sid answered with a curious frown. "Curly? Thanks." Arnold answered and went to run inside the school. "No, wait! And he's gone…" Sid observed and sighed a bit as he scratched his head or rather his green cap. "I'm confused." Stinky declared with his thick southern accent and started to scratch his head as well. "Is this thing about Helga true or not?" he asked. "I'm hoping not…" Harold muttered and crossed his arms.

In the meantime, Arnold knew that if he found Rhonda, he'd find Curly. Question was: where was Rhonda? Easy: probably in the cafeteria or somewhere, she could talk and gossip with her friend Nadine; that's what she usually did at least. Arnold was about to run towards the cafeteria, when he noticed some blonde, very familiar locks. "Helga!" he yelled and she jumped a bit as she turned around to face him. "Why do you have to do that?" she asked calmly, which he usually would have frowned at, since a scowl and a scolding was more her thing, but he had other things on his mind right then.

"Helga, have you heard about… Uh…" Arnold stopped talking when he reached her, wondering how he should ask her about this, warn her about this or whatever. She frowned at his sudden lack of speaking. "Have I heard about what?" she asked, causing him to hum thoughtfully. _Great. How am I supposed to tell her this? I still don't know who it was who overheard us… Then again, Helga's cunning and she'll want to find out as well, so I guess we should help each other._ He decided in his head and opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh, good morning, Helga." A friendly, female voice said. Helga turned around, while Arnold leaned to the side to look at the girl approaching them. Arnold didn't recognize her. No, that wasn't true; he knew she attended this school, but he didn't know her name. She was a couple of years younger than them; how was he supposed to know anything about her? She seemed to know Helga though. Then again, who didn't? She had quite the reputation.

"Do I know you?" Helga asked. _That's weird; that's something Helga would usually say, but her tone is so… normal and calm. This is starting to mess with my head._ Arnold thought, but decided to just observe how this thing would develop. "Oh, no. My name is Katherine and I… I just wanted to let you know that… that I, uh…" she eyed Arnold for a second and then moved closer to Helga to whisper in her ear. "I know exactly how you feel."

Helga frowned at those words, as Katherine leaned back with a shy smile. "You know how I feel?" she repeated. Katherine seemed uncomfortable with Arnold around, but she simply nodded. "So… if there's anything I can do to help… please say so! I would have wanted someone around who had been through the same thing, so… if I can help, come find me, ok? Bye." She said and then strode past Helga, holding her books close to her chest, obviously feeling flustered and slightly ashamed.

Helga then turned around to face Arnold, something resembling a restrained scowl on her face. "This has been happening to me all morning!" she declared. "_This_?" Arnold repeated in disbelief. "No! I mean yes. I mean, everyone has been so… kind and sweet and… _understanding_ about whatever! It's driving me insane, because I don't know what's going on!" she admitted and started to rub at her scalp with the palm of her hand. "The girls are being sympathetic and the boys are staying as far away as physically possible from me, but not because they're scared of me; more like they're scared of hurting me."

Arnold gulped at Helga's words. He had hoped it was inaudible, but she frowned at him, so he was guessing it wasn't. She obviously wanted to say something - he could see the wheels in her head turning, and then she sighed. "Arnold… answer me dead honestly… Have you, by accident since it's you… mentioned what happened Friday night to anyone?" she asked him seriously, her face showing no emotion whatsoever as she did so. "I haven't told anyone anything!" he said with slight panic in his voice, but she lifted her hands to calm him. "I'm not saying you'd deliberately do such a thing, Arnold. I know you; you'd never do such a thing… but everyone makes mistakes. I mean, look at me. So, I'm asking you once again, did you accidentally tell anyone?"

Arnold didn't like the 'look at me' comment, but decided not to start a fight or something like that at this moment. "No, I didn't." he answered calmly. Helga blinked a couple of times and then her hands curled into fists. "Then how come everyone seems to know? Am I being paranoid?" she asked, not accusingly, but slightly angry. Arnold sighed, gulped and then spoke. "No, you're not paranoid. The rumor says that you have been… you know… last Friday."

Helga's shoulders started to shake a bit. "H-How is that possible? I didn't tell anyone, not even Phoebe, and you didn't tell anyone, so how can such a rumor start?!" she asked with a clear edge to her voice. She sounded like her voice was breaking; like a record being scratched. "Apparently, someone overheard the two of us talking yesterday." Arnold explained calmly. She blinked a couple of times, then lifted her foot, swung her whole body around and slammed it so hard into a locker that it gave a serious echo though the empty hallway.

Arnold jumped back in shock, almost falling over his own two feet, but managed to keep himself steady. Helga was breathing heavily as she glared at the locker, but then the anger disappeared from her face, her expression turning doll like once again. _Well… that seemed almost like the real Helga._ Arnold comforted himself as he arched his back, doing his best to figure out what to say. "Uh… H-Helga?" he asked gently.

"… Who?" Helga asked simply. "Huh?" Arnold muttered and frowned a bit. She turned her head slowly to look at him, her neck crooking in an almost inhuman way. He stared at her in slight shock, feeling as if he was looking at her again from Friday night, when she had gone… crazy. "Who overheard us?" she asked. "Uh… I-I was just trying to find out." He answered. "And?" she inquired. "For now, Curly seems to be the latest to - - Helga!" he exclaimed, when she bolted right past him and ran towards, what he assumed, the location of Curly. _Crap. If I know Helga right, her current state or not, this means war!_ Arnold thought before he sprinted after her.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Sorry it took so long! :P I would've been done Friday if it wasn't because I spent the weekend at my dad and - this isn't really helping my case, is it? xD Sorry for the wait, but here it is!**


	5. I'm not good at doing the right thing

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Arnold had been so sure that he could handle whatever Helga would tell the police officer, when he joined her to report her rape. Unfortunately, Helga had written everything down, let Arnold read it on his own wanting and then he bolted out of the room as the horrid images started haunting him.**_

_**To make up for it, and to spend more time with her, Arnold invited Helga to Slausen's and then walked her home. He didn't expect that such a fine ending of the Monday would result in the Tuesday morning being one big mess. Somehow, someway, someone had heard him and Helga talk about her rape and had spread the rumor. Telling Helga this, they bolted towards Curly, the one they had been told was the newest to have told someone.**_

**Author's 1st note: Sorry it took so long! School… Blech! xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 5: "I'm not good at doing the right thing"

Trying to keep up with Helga was like a hunter chasing a lion: his only fuel was willpower and adrenaline. When she turned a corner, Arnold almost hit the wall when trying to copy her stunt. _No wonder she's our quarterback._ He thought as he stumbled after her. "Helga! Could you at least tell me where we're going?" he yelled at her. "The library! That's where Rhonda and Curly meet up in the morning before classes!" she answered him without turning her head around to look at him and spun around yet another corner.

"What?!" Arnold explained in surprise, still stumbling a bit after turning the corner himself. "Why would those two meet up there at this time?" he asked. "You really are dense!" Helga stated as she stopped. "Whoa!" Arnold exclaimed and barely managed to stop himself before crashing into her. He couldn't help but smile widely at her though; she truly seemed like herself right then.

"What are you smiling at?" Helga asked with an agitated frown. "Uh… Arnold muttered and shook his head to remove the grin on his face. "N-Nothing." He answered and gestured towards the door to the library. "Ladies first." He added teasingly as he opened the door, obviously hoping for a Helga-like reaction. She blinked at him a couple of times, rolled her eyes and walked inside. _That was pretty close!_ He thought happily and followed her.

"You have any idea where they are?" Arnold asked, but Helga made him go quiet, when she lifted her index finger. At first, he thought she was hushing him, because they were in a library, but then he could hear some not-very-library-like noises. He could almost feel his ears sharpen as the sound of the moans echoed through the room. "Is that…" Arnold whispered, but then Helga gestured for him to follow her. As he did so, they both did their best to walk quietly. It was only Helga, who managed to walk quickly at the same time though. She therefore reached the source of the moaning before Arnold did.

"Helga! What the fuck are you doing her?!" a female voice asked behind the bookshelf of which Helga had just approached. "Whoa, Rhonda. As soon as you're not in public, that mouth of yours sure isn't sophisticated anymore." Helga observed matter-of-factly and crossed her arms. "Rhonda?!" Arnold repeated, picked up his pace – the being quiet thing was over anyway, and ran to Helga's side.

Arnold's eyes went wide as the display of Rhonda with her hair all disheveled and sitting on top of Curly, whose glasses had been thrown God knows where flashed before him. "Why are you here too?!" Rhonda asked and then finally jumped off Curly. "Aw, Rhonda!" he whined at the loss of contact, but shut his mouth when the girl above him gave him an icy stare.

"What are you two doing here?" Arnold asked in confusion. "What does it look like they're doing?" Helga asked with an eyebrow lifted. Arnold looked away from her and back to the black headed couple before him. If it had been anyone else in front of him, Arnold's answer would have been 'making out', but this was _Curly_ and _Rhonda_ of all people. Curly had been obsessing over Rhonda for as far as anyone could remember, but she had also found him disgusting for as far as anyone could remember, so the two of them meeting in secret like this was a pretty big shock to Arnold.

But not to Helga apparently. "Wait, how did you know they were here?" Arnold asked as he pointed at them. Rhonda was frantically trying to make herself look presentable, while Curly looked around for his glasses. "I caught them once while I was studying in here. They didn't notice me though." Helga answered with an innocent shrug. "When did you see us here?!" Rhonda asked in a frenzy as she grabbed her bag and rummaged through it. "Last year, when this whole sneaking around thing began." She answered.

"Bullshit! If you've known for this long, then how come no one else knows?" Rhonda asked, starting to brush her hair with the hairbrush she had just pulled out of her bag. "Because it was no one else's business, that's why. And speaking of that…" Helga answered and went to grab Rhonda's hairbrush and threw it across the room, making it crack against a bookshelf as she did so. "Why you little - - " Rhonda said, about to start ranting, but then gulped when she noticed the look of death in Helga's eyes. "Tell me, Rhonda, why have you been spreading rumors about me getting raped?"

Rhonda gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, l-look who's back, huh? Now, this is the Helga I know." She observed as she backed away a little. "I guess I can revert back to my regular self, when I feel like _killing_ someone. Now, tell me, princess, what's up with the rumors?" Helga asked. Arnold couldn't believe his eyes or ears: It was Helga's voice and Helga's eyes, but that was _not_ Helga's body. She was standing stiffly in front of Rhonda, almost shaking a little in something akin to anger, but also fear. It was like that body wasn't her own.

"I just…" Rhonda muttered in a low voice, but then coughed a bit and arched her back to give a face and voice of confidence. "I just thought it would only be fair for people to know why Helga Pataki has been acting like a freaking zombie." She answered. Helga's hand curled into a fist and she pumped it into the bookshelves, knocking down a few books as she did so. Rhonda gasped and stepped back, but this time Helga didn't follow her. "_Bullshit._ You've told people that, because you can't handle _not_ being the one who knows everything. Be happy that I'm not myself at the moment… because if I was, I would have ripped your tongue out and wrapped it around your neck, so you could never use that disgusting mouth of yours again."

Helga then turned around and marched away from the others. "Sure! Talk big all you want, Helga! We all know it's a scam now!" Rhonda yelled at her, causing the blonde girl to stop. "You talk _so_ big, throwing those fists of yours around! For years, you've been torturing all of us and threatened with beating us up! Well, now we all know that you can't do shit! You couldn't even protect yourself from _one_ guy! You act so big and tough, but you're not better than anyone else!"

"Rhonda!" both Arnold and Curly scolded, causing the black headed girl to look at Curly and to stop talking because of the way he was looking at her. Arnold though, was looking at Helga's back. He wished he could see what kind of face she was making, so he jogged towards her and stopped next to her. He gasped a little bit as he saw the terrified look on her face, as if she had seen a ghost. "Helga?" he asked gently and lifted his hand. He was just about to touch her shoulder, when she stepped to the side in a clumsy movement. Her peers kept staring at her in surprise as she started to stagger towards the door. She then bolted right out, pulling the door open and letting it bang against the wall.

"Helga!" Arnold called, but then turned around to glare at Rhonda. "Are you happy?!" he asked her. She frowned at that question, but didn't get a chance to answer him before he started yelling at her. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?! 'Oh, something juicy is going on! I must tell _everyone_ about it, no matter who I hurt in the process!' You really are selfish! You're saying that Helga's all talk, but so are you! _All_ you can do is yap!"

Arnold then turned around and started to run in the same direction as Helga. He could imagine the shocked expression on Rhonda's face and Curly's somewhat amused expression, despite him loving her to death. Arnold didn't care though; he just wanted to find Helga and try to convince her that Rhonda was wrong. "Helga!" he called, when the bell rang. He stopped for a second, wondering if he would even be able to find her. _Should I just go to class? Maybe she'll be there too…_ He wondered, but then he heard a loud yell from the girls' bathroom.

Arnold turned his head leisurely around as a loud bang could also be heard. He slowly walked towards the door. "Helga? Are you in there?" he asked and lifted his hand to knock at the door. As he did so, a series of echoes from Helga, probably kicking at something, was heard. "Helga! That's not gonna solve anything! C-Come on out, please? Let's go to class, then talk with the principal and tell him what's going on, ok? Then we can tell him to… I don't know; punish Rhonda for harassing you, ok?" he suggested, though he knew she wouldn't accept such a thing.

And Helga didn't stop. She kept on kicking at the toilet stalls, rip the seats on them off and even threw one at the mirror. All the anger she had felt, but hadn't acted upon suddenly came to surface and she was angrier than she had ever felt. When she saw her own face in that cracked mirror, she started walking towards it. Her blue eyes were somewhat more gray than blue, her blonde hair had lost it's sunny shine and her creamy skin was pale.

"My God…" Helga muttered and lifted her hand to her mouth. She shut her eyes tight and let herself fall to the ground. She held onto the sink for a while, but then she gave up and let herself crumble to the floor. She could hear her own sobs mixed with Arnold's calling of her name, as her body shook. She felt icy all over, and she didn't know if it was from the tiles or because she felt cold in general.

"Helga!" Arnold called once again, but then his voice was cut through at the sound of a teacher approaching. _Crap…_ He thought, when he saw that it was Mr. Smith, who wasn't a man known for his kindness or consideration. "What in the world is going on here? Is there a mob inside the girls' bathroom?" he asked angrily and put his hands to his hips. "Uh, n-no, sir… It's Helga Pataki; she's feeling really bad." Arnold answered, but instantly regretted his words as Mr. Smith opened the door. "My goodness! Helga Pataki, what in the world have you done?!"

Arnold couldn't help but peek inside and he gasped at the sight of the broken toilet stall, the cracked mirror, the tube to the shrink which were now flossing with water and Helga lying on the floor. "Helga!" Arnold called and was about to walk inside, but was stopped by the arm of Mr. Smith. "No way are you going in there. That girl is crazy. I'll get her." he said and was about to walk in. "No, you can't!" Arnold said and pulled at him to stop him. "Oh? And why not?" Mr. Smith asked and turned around to look at the teen.

"Because… uh… it's the girls' bathroom! And Helga doesn't know you very well… P-Please call one of the female teachers." Arnold begged, hoping that Mr. Smith wasn't as coldhearted as he seemed. There was no way Arnold could tell him that he didn't want to risk Helga losing her mind from having to be touched by a man at this critical moment; that would mean that the teachers would find out about the rape as well. As if her peers knowing wasn't bad enough!

Mr. Smith was looking at Arnold with skepticism, but then grabbed his phone in his pocket with a sigh. "Fine then, but only because I know of Miss Helga's… situation." He explained as he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. Arnold's eyes went wide at the confession. _So the teachers already know? Fantastic! Why don't they just write it in the freaking school paper?!_ He thought angrily and listened as Mr. Smith was talking.

In one of the classrooms of the school, Mrs. Skelter had been about to teach her class about American History, when her phone started ringing. "Oh! I'm so sorry, class." She said apologetically and went to grab it. "I'm just gonna turn it off and then we'll… Oh, it's Mr. Smith… Uh, excuse me for a second." She said and put the phone to her ear. "Yes?"

The whole class were staring to the one sitting next to them; that included Gerald, who was sitting next to his girlfriend Phoebe. She leaned towards him. "I hope this isn't about Helga." She whispered. "Me neither… especially since Arnold's out there too. I wonder if something happened?" Gerald suggested nervously, until a gasp from Mrs. Skelter stopped the couple from talking.

"Is she all right? Oh, yes… Yes, I'll be right there. Just don't touch Helga, ok?" Mrs. Skelter said nervously on the phone and then hung up. "I'm sorry, class. I have to… I have some urgent things I need to take care of. Do some… Uh, read page 112 to 120 while I'm gone, ok?" she suggested and went towards the door. "Wait! Hold on! Did you say Helga? Is she ok?" Phoebe asked worriedly as she stood up. "I-I can't say anything, Miss Heyerdahl. Just… stay put, please?" Mrs. Skelter said, though she was obviously worried as well, before she jogged out the door.

"I can't just sit here!" Phoebe declared and ran after Mrs. Skelter. Gerald looked pensive for a second, but then ran after his girlfriend. "Mrs. Skelter!" Phoebe called and quickly reached the blonde teacher. "Phoebe? Gerald? I asked you two to stay put!" she said with slight anger in her voice. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Skelter, but I'm already forward in this subject and Helga's my best friend. Can I please come along?" Phoebe begged. Mrs. Skelter sighed and then nodded. "Sure, but not you, Mr. Johanssen, you're behind in this class and you have no relationship with Miss. Pataki."

"That's not true! I… Uh, I've known her since preschool?" Gerald suggested, but he had a feeling that he'd be sent back to the classroom. "Nice try and I'm glad to see that you're worried, but you're behind in this subject, and you're… You're, uh…" Mrs. Skelter stopped herself from talking, but both Gerald and Phoebe knew what she was about to say: He was a boy, and Helga was a girl who was recently violated. It didn't matter how much she knew him; she was still very vulnerable.

"I understand. Tell me how it goes, ok, babe?" Gerald requested. After Phoebe had nodded, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and went back to class. "All right, Miss. Heyerdahl, let's go. Oh, and I must warn you… You might not like what you see." Mrs. Skelter warned. "I know Helga more than anyone else and I've seen her at her worst times. I can handle this." Phoebe answered with confidence. With a smile from Mrs. Skelter, they went towards the girls' bathroom.

* * *

"Mr. Smith!" Mrs. Skelter called in a loud, but restrained voice. Arnold and Mr. Smith turned their heads towards her and Phoebe. "Phoebe!" Arnold said, happy to see Helga's best friend here as well. Phoebe seemed confused to see him, but she was a smart girl, so it didn't take her long to realize that he was just as worried about Helga as she was. "Hi, Arnold, what happened?" she asked as she approached him. He didn't answer, but simply cocked his head towards the girls' bathroom.

When Phoebe turned her head to do the same, her eyes popped open at the sight. "Helga!" she bellowed and ran inside. "Careful, Miss Heyerdahl, Miss Pataki is in a very hostile mood." Mr. Smith warned, but Phoebe ignored him and crouched next to Helga. "Helga, are you ok?" she asked, to which Helga shook her head. "You feel sick?" Phoebe then asked, to which Helga repeated the movement. "… Do you feel angry?" she then asked, knowing that Helga would do exactly what she did: nothing.

Phoebe nodded at her in understanding. "Can you get up?" she asked. Helga didn't answer, but simply rolled on all fours and then lazily pulled herself up. Phoebe grabbed her shoulder instantly and followed her out of the room. "You're coming with me to the principal's office, young lady." Mr. Smith said and lifted his hand to grab her shoulder. "Don't touch her!" Arnold warned, causing the older man to withdraw his hand in surprise. "What? Why…? Oh! I'm sorry, Miss Pataki, I forgot."

"… The teachers know too?" Helga asked in a small voice. Phoebe, who still had her arm over Helga, nodded gently. "Great." Helga declared in a mutter and crossed her arms. "Nevertheless, Miss Pataki, you've basically ruined the girls' bathroom apart, and I have to bring you to the principal now." Mr. Smith explained and gestured for her to follow him. With a small, almost inaudible, sigh, Helga stepped forward to follow him, allowing Phoebe's arm to fall off her shoulders. "Are you gonna be ok?" Phoebe asked which Helga shrugged at.

"Helga…" Arnold said with a worried voice and was about to follow them, until Mrs. Skelter grabbed his shoulder. "You're going to class." She said in a firm, but understanding tone of voice. She met these children briefly in fourth class, but was a very observant person; she had noticed from the very beginning that Arnold was a caring person and cared especially about Helga. As odd as it seemed from time to time. They weren't the best of friends it seemed, but there was no doubt they cared deeply for each other.

"But - - " Arnold said, trying to argue against his teacher, but was cut off by Helga. "Arnold, go to class." She requested of him. He turned his head around to look at her, but she hadn't stopped; she was still walking behind Mr. Smith, on her way to the principal. Arnold wanted to argue against her, but made a subconscious decision to sigh instead and comply. "I-I'll see you at lunch, ok?" he invited, which she lifted her hand at and waved a bit. That only told him that she had heard him, but not if she was agreeing. Not feeling like making a big fuss at the moment – that wouldn't help Helga either – Arnold decided to join Phoebe and his class in the history lesson.

* * *

"I can't see her anywhere." Gerald declared as he continued to look around in the cafeteria. Arnold and Phoebe were scanning the room as well. "Maybe we should go to the principal?" Phoebe suggested. "Why? I doubt she'll still be there." Gerald answered. "But the principal might know where she is." She pointed out. "Let's go." Arnold inquired, turning on his heel and jogged out of the cafeteria. "Man, he really is a worrywart." Gerald said before he and Phoebe followed him. "I'm personally sure that Helga just wants to be alone."

"We can't leave her alone right now! She's really vulnerable; she needs us." Phoebe answered with a frown, shocked that Gerald seemed somewhat cold. "I think she needs people to leave her the heck alone." Gerald admitted and stopped walking as Arnold reached the door to the principal's office and knocked on it. "How can you say that?" Phoebe asked in disbelief and stopped as well. "Hey, babe, I'm not saying we should ignore her or anything, but I really think she'd prefer - - "

"Yes?" a male voice greeted as the door opened. The teens turned to look at the principal. "Uh, excuse me, but you were talking with Helga Pataki not too long ago, but now we can't find her anywhere and we hoped you could tell us where she is?" Arnold asked politely. "Well, she's probably at home by now." The principal answered and opened the door a little more. "What?!" the group of friends yelped. "Why?"

"Miss Pataki practically wrecked the girls' bathroom apart, which would usually result in permanent suspension." The principal explained. "You didn't suspend her, did you?!" Phoebe asked in absolute horror. "Only for the rest of the month. Given her current delicate situation, I thought it would also give her a chance to get back on her feet and for the gossiping to die down. You are her friends, right? Please, make sure that she doesn't get behind on her homework and that the gossip will be gone when she comes back, ok? Now, go have lunch. I have work to do." The principal answered and closed the door.

"Some principal!" Gerald announced with a frown. "She's not permanently suspended at least." Phoebe muttered with a sigh. "But did she just go home then?" Arnold wondered aloud. "I guess." Gerald answered with a shrug. "We're going to her house after school then." Arnold declared to which Phoebe nodded decisively. They turned to get a confirmation from Gerald, but he didn't say or do anything. "Gerald!" they scolded.

"I'm sorry! But I seriously think that she wants and needs to be alone." He said with a frown. "How can you say that? I know that you and Helga aren't the best of friends, but do you really care this little about her? Aren't you worried at all?" Arnold asked with a scowl. "Of course I'm worried! Who wouldn't be worried about something like this?!" Gerald asked with a scowl as well.

"Then why aren't you - - "

"Because if I know one thing about Helga, then it's that she's a proud girl! Yes, we're not the best of friends. No, we don't have a lot in common, but we do have _one_ thing and that's the same kind of pride. Helga is proud and that means that she hates it when people pity her! Everyone around her is either sorry for her or is looking down at her! I may not know what she is going through, but I do know that she hates people knowing because they suddenly don't fear or respect her anymore. Even you two are calling her vulnerable!"

Arnold and Phoebe just kept staring at Gerald, both blinking slowly as they tried to comprehend the fact that Gerald, out of everyone, would understand Helga more than them for once. They slowly turned their heads to face each other, as if silently asking the other 'did this just happen?' "I can't believe that Gerald realized this and I didn't." Phoebe muttered. "Me neither." Arnold declared. _I'm embarrassed. How could I not have thought of that?_

"Hey, Pataki and I only have this one thing in common; that's the only reason why I know. You two are still the ones who know her the best." Gerald answered, causing his best friend and girlfriend to smile at him. "You may be right." Phoebe admitted with a nod and turned to look at Arnold again, pretty certain that even if he agreed, then he'd still insist on visiting Helga. He noticed her looking at him immediately and figured that she knew his intentions already, and her smile indicated that she was gonna join him.

"Yes, you're right, Gerald. We should probably leave her alone for now." Arnold said with a nod of his head and started to slowly walk towards the cafeteria. "Yes, she needs her space." Phoebe added and followed him. Gerald kept standing on his feet though as his eyebrow quirked at the obvious fake agreement from them. _Yeah, right…_ He thought with a smile and followed them.

* * *

"I feel a little bad about this." Phoebe announced. She and Arnold were currently on their way to Helga's house, which by now was only two minutes away. "Me too, but I know myself; I'm just gonna keep worrying until I see Helga again and make sure that she's ok." He answered. Phoebe gazed a little at him. It didn't surprise her that he was worried about Helga, he always worried about his friends, but he and Helga weren't exactly friends… Not enemies either, but not really friends. _I do wonder…_ She declared thoughtfully inside her head.

"Well, here we are." Arnold announced as he and Phoebe stopped in front of Helga's house. "Indeed you are." A male voice said sarcastically. Arnold and Phoebe turned their whole bodies around and noticed that Gerald was standing right behind them with an eyebrow cocked and his arms crossed. "Gerald!" they exclaimed in unison and started fidgeting embarrassedly. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Gerald asked and approached them.

"Sorry…" they muttered. "Naw, it's ok. I'm here as well, aren't I?" Gerald pointed out and walked past them towards the front door. "You're here to visit her too?" Phoebe asked in surprise. "Yeah. I figured that _one_ visit might not piss her off all that much, but it'll hopefully be enough for us to not worry our asses away while she's gone." Gerald explained with a shrug and rang the bell. Phoebe and Arnold smiled at each other before they walked up to Gerald.

No one answered the door though. "Bob's probably at work." Arnold said with a small frown. "And Miriam's probably… sleeping." Phoebe said with a frown as well and turned her head to the side. "I guess we should try to go for Helga's room." She added and walked towards the big tree in the garden. Arnold and Gerald looked at each other in wonder, but then followed her. She turned the corner, stopped beneath the tree and looked up towards Helga's window. The boys did the same thing.

"You two see some rocks or something we can throw?" Phoebe asked. The boys looked around on the ground. "Why don't you just text her?" Gerald wondered aloud, but didn't stop looking for a properly sized rock. "When Helga's feeling down, she turns her cell phone off." Phoebe explained and started looking as well. "Found one." Arnold declared, grabbed it, stood up and threw it at Helga's window.

Helga practically fell down from her bed in shock, when that somewhat loud noise woke her up. She gasped a couple of times as certain images continued to run through her mind, since she had just dreamed of them. She shook her head to get rid of the phantasmagorias – not that it was that easy, but it did help that she suddenly had a task to do; opening the window and finding out who the heck had thrown a rock at it.

She stood up from her bed, swiftly wiped some sweat from her forehead and looked at herself in the mirror. She had thrown off most of her clothes, besides a white tank top and a pair of pink panties. She frowned at the dark marks on her arms, but removed her eyes from her body and started looking around for something she could put on and noticed her white bathrobe. She grabbed it and put it on, making sure that the belt was tight and then went to her window.

Helga's eyes popped open, when she saw Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald standing in her garden. She opened the window lazily and stuck her head out. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked, having already gotten over the shock of seeing them and had plastered her doll-like face on again. "We talked to the principal and we heard what happened! I tried stopping these two from visiting you, but they couldn't help themselves!" Gerald explained. "Gerald!" Phoebe and Arnold chastised, but Helga didn't seem angry at them. "Does anyone else know that I was suspended?" she asked.

"Uh, no. Only us." Arnold answered. "Well, that probably won't last long…" Helga observed and sighed a bit. "Why are you here though?" she asked. "Because we're worried about you!" Phoebe answered. This time, Helga frowned a bit. "Don't be. I'm fine." She answered. "You can't just say you're fine and then expect us to believe that!" Arnold answered with a frown as well, earning an elbow to his ribs from Gerald. "_Proud_ girl, Arnold!" he reminded him in a whisper, but the damage was done.

"And why can't you believe me? Because I've been throwing my fists around, but that I really can't do shit? Because I act so big and tough, but it's all just an act? Because I couldn't protect myself from _one_ fucking guy? Is that why?" Helga asked, her scowl going deeper and deeper. Phoebe and Gerald turned to look at Arnold, since _he_ obviously knew what Helga was referring at. "Rhonda was just angry, Helga, she didn't mean all those things! Even if she did, then she's wrong and you should know that! And we worry because we care about you, not because we suddenly consider you weak!" Arnold answered.

Helga seemed to consider his words for a second, but then shut her eyes. "Go home! All of you! I'll see you in three weeks." She answered and shut the window. "Helga!" Arnold called, but then she pulled at her curtains as well. "Huh. I guess _one_ visit could piss her off." Gerald said, gave Phoebe and Arnold a somewhat scolding look and turned to walk out of the garden. Phoebe followed him, but noticed that Arnold didn't. When it seemed like Gerald noticed as well, she simply grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. Gerald gave a worried look in Arnold's direction, but decided it was probably best to follow his girlfriend's intuition.

Arnold kept staring up at Helga's tightly shut window. _Great. I'm not good at doing the right thing at the moment, it seems._ He thought with a frown and looked around for a rock to throw. He found one almost instantly, since the old one had landed rather close to him. He picked it up, pulled his arm back and threw it at her window. He waited for about a minute, but nothing happened. When he tried again, nothing happened yet again.

"Come on, Helga. Please let me talk to you again. Just once. Just once before I really, truly leave you alone! Please!" Arnold shouted. When nothing happened, he sighed and went to sit under the tree. The cold autumn wind decided to blow at him and he pulled his arms around his body and pulled his knees up to his chest. _I'm not leaving until I talk with her one last time. Not seeing her for three weeks would usually be heaven, but not with the way she is now. No, it wouldn't even be heaven back then. 'Back then'… Oh, God, the real Helga seems so far away… Shit!_

Arnold didn't care about his swearing – inside his head or not. He stood up from the tree, grabbed the rock and threw it at Helga's window again. "Helga! I'm not leaving until you let me talk with you! I'm gonna stay outside your house forever if I have to!" he yelled and then went to sit under the tree again. He pulled out his phone and checked for the time. It was around 4 o'clock. _I'm not leaving. No way._

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: A virtual cookie for the one who can guess who Mrs. Skelter is first! She **_**is**_** actually from Hey Arnold! But only briefly! :P**

**Oh, and by the way, I really don't know how American schools work… if Helga's punishment is very unlikely or whatever, but just go with it, ok? xD**

**Oh, and you may be wondering how in the hell the teachers found out about Helga as well? Well, I think it should be up to you how, but we can also just say that they have overheard almost every single person gossip about it and teachers gossip too, especially with something as serious as this. Helga may have had the school shrink forced upon her, if she hadn't gotten suspended.**


	6. Love makes you crazy

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Apparently, Helga seemed to know one of Rhonda's secrets as well, since she knew that she would be with Curly for a private make out session in the library. She seemed like herself for a moment as she threatened Rhonda, but then she seemed to lose her mind yet again, when Rhonda told her that everyone knew she was a scam now.**_

_**Helga was suspended for the rest of September, after breaking almost everything in the girls' bathroom. Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald went to her house to talk with her, but she sent them away. Arnold decided to stay in her garden though, hoping for her to open her window again, so that he could talk to her.**_

**Author's 1st note: I'm gonna try to ask again: How come no one has been wondering who this "someone else" is, who is mentioned in the summary? Who else is going down with Helga?! Give me your thoughts, damn it! xD Ha-ha ~**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 6: "Love makes you crazy"

She could still hear the moans in her head, his ragged, warm breath on her cold body. Feel his nails scratch at her hips, the bricks slam against her head every time he slammed into her. She could still feel her arms trying desperately to push him away, feeling her strength disappear and transform into weakness and fear. She didn't know why she hadn't been able to push him away. Why her strength had become so minimal… and that's what she hated the most.

Helga sat up with a gasp. She choked on her breath and her hand went straight to her throat as if that would make breathing less difficult. She wheezed and started to look around. She was in her room. In safety, but it didn't feel safe at all. It didn't matter if his body wasn't physically around her, his presence was still lingering in her head and on her body. She pulled her knees up to her chest as if trying to hide her scars and marks on her body from the world.

Helga lifted her head, laid her chin on her knees and looked out of her window. Arnold's words repeated themselves inside her head: _"I'm not leaving until you let me talk with you! I'm gonna stay outside your house forever if I have to!"_ She looked at her cell on her table and pushed at a button on it, making its flash appear. It was 7 o'clock by now. _There's no way he's still here._ She decided in her head, but couldn't help but look a little longingly at the window.

With a sigh, Helga gave into her curiosity and pulled her legs out of the bed. She planted her feet on the floor and walked towards the window. It was already beyond dark outside, so it was a little hard to see anything. She grabbed her phone, turned on the flashlight and turned it towards the tree outside. Her eyes went wide when she recognized a figure sitting under the tree, his knees pulled up to his chest and his whole body shaking a little from the cold.

Helga could feel a very familiar feeling spread around her cheeks. She was blushing just slightly and for a moment, she truly tried to let this wonderful feeling overwhelm her, but then the image of a certain man flashed through her mind and the blush disappeared with the warm feeling. It was replaced with shame and guilt. _How can I let myself feel this way when I don't deserve it?_ She thought and turned her eyes towards her bed. She looked back at Arnold, and then closed the window and went towards her bed.

Helga grabbed her bathrobe and pulled her arms into it. She tied the belt around her waist tightly and then grabbed a blanket from her bed. With a swift movement, she pulled a pair of pink slippers onto her feet and then jogged out of her room. She walked down the stairs and went towards her front door, and opening it as quietly as she could, she grabbed some keys hanging on the wall and closed it behind her.

Helga pulled her arms up to her chest and felt her hair sway in the cold autumn wind while she walked towards her tree in the garden. As she had seen a minute ago, Arnold was sitting under the tree, desperately trying to retain some warmth. With a disbelieving shake of her head, she walked towards him and then threw the blanket at him.

Arnold gasped in shock, waking up from whatever he had been dreaming about and looked around. When he noticed Helga looking at him with tired eyes, he remembered where he was and why. "Helga, I…" he started, but then felt something fuzzy against his hands, which he suddenly realized were very cold. _How long have I been out here?_ He thought as he turned his eyes downwards and noticed a blanket in his hands. _Did… Did Helga come outside just to give me this?_

"Did you think you getting sick would make me feel better?" Helga asked as she crouched next to Arnold. He lifted his head to look at her, as her hands grabbed the blanket. She flipped it over his head and forced it upon his shoulders violently, making it obvious that even if she may worry about him, she was still mad at him for staying out here and putting himself in danger of getting sick.

Arnold could feel his heart getting warm at Helga's concern for him. Especially since her way of showing it was so very Helga-like. He smiled a little, but then remembered why he had stayed to begin with. "Helga! I wanted to apologize for coming over unannounced and everything. Phoebe and I – and Gerald for that matter – just wanted to make sure that you were ok." He explained, hoping he had phrased it properly. "So…" she muttered. "You're apologizing for coming over unannounced by staying out here for several hours?"

"… I was afraid you'd pick up on that." Arnold said with a crooked smile, hoping for Helga to find it amusing as well. She didn't show any signs that she did though and that made him sigh. "Helga… I know that you don't like everyone worrying about you… so I promise I'll stop worrying after this." He swore. That made Helga lift her eyebrows in surprise, and then she snorted. "Yeah, right. As if _you_ out of anyone could stop worrying about _anything._" She said in disbelief.

"I promise I'll try! I want to do what you'd prefer for me to do." Arnold said with a frown. Helga blinked a couple of times at him, and then her doll-like face seemed to crumble a little bit. Her eyes and features got softer and she looked a little shyly at the ground. "Then… what I prefer for you to do is… _not_ staying outside my house like some stray dog." She answered. Arnold blinked at her a couple of times, wondering whether she was being sarcastic or not. Her face said she wasn't, but her words seemed so.

Helga rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm kidding. Well, somewhat. I don't want to feel all this, _plus_ feeling bad for you because I made you stay out here until you caught a cold." She explained. Arnold couldn't help but make a crooked smile. She was joking, but she was also serious, and he hated being reminded of how badly she must be feeling after all this. "Ok. So I won't play the desperate stray dog anymore." He joked, which she smiled at very slightly. "Anything else?"

Helga shrugged. "I wouldn't know what… but if it makes you feel better, I'll text you if I think of something, ok?"

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"You swear?"

"Yes."

"For real?"

"Yes."

"Am I annoying?"

"Yes." Helga answered, which caused Arnold to chuckle. She smiled a little at him as well and then stood up. "Go home, you annoying mutt." She said and turned on her heel. "Helga, wait!" he said and stood up as well, cradling the blanket in his arms. She turned around with her arms crossed. "What now?" she asked with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. He shook the blanket in his hands, hoping for her to catch the hint.

"Oh, keep it. You've got a few blocks home and it's still cold. Besides, it's not like we're never gonna see each other again." Helga answered and turned around again to walk towards her front door. Arnold couldn't help but feel a somewhat fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach at those words. They were very simple: "_It's not like we're never gonna see each other again_", but they did mean that she wasn't opposed for him to perhaps come and visit her through these three weeks. He hoped.

* * *

Arnold had been wrong though. He had managed to stay away from Helga the rest of that week, but when he tried to visit her by the next one, she had told him she didn't wish to speak with anyone. It had made his usual cheerful mood go down quite a lot and it was his turn to be gossiped about the day after. That didn't mean that the gossiping about Helga had died down though; it only gave it more fuel really.

Arnold was tired. So very, _very_ tired. Every corner he turned, he could hear people whisper his or Helga's name. "Is Arnold a masochist or something?", "He's been like this since Helga disappeared", "Why is he missing her?", "Does it have anything to do with Helga being raped?", "You don't think that Arnold knows more than we do, right?", "You're not suggesting that _Arnold_ raped her, are you?", "No, of course not! There's no way; even if she has been the biggest bitch to him since preschool, there's no way Arnold would do anything like that."

"Shut _up_." Arnold whispered at some point through this particular day at no one specifically. He was _so_ tired of hearing his name connected with Helga's in such a bad way. Hearing people's theories was killing him, and at one point when someone actually suggested that Arnold had raped Helga, he almost lost his mind. That theory was shut down immediately though, thank God, but then the gossiping went back to thrashing Helga and he had to leave.

On his way home, Arnold decided to try to stop by Helga's house once again. As soon as he reached the street, he could hear music. With a frown, he looked towards her house, having no doubt in his mind that the music was coming from there. It was loud, and not just volume loud; the song wasn't exactly one made for slow dancing. Helga usually listened to that kind of music, yes, but the lyrics of the song made him frown deeply.

"_Why won't somebody come and save me from this? Make it end! I feel it deep within. It's just beneath the skin. I must confess that I feel like a monster! I hate what I've become. The nightmare's just begun. I must confess that I feel like a monster!_" The singer almost shouted over the music. Arnold didn't listen to music like this whatsoever, but even he knew this was a Skillet song. It didn't matter that he thought it was an ok song, right then he hated it. If this was anything near what Helga was feeling right now, there was no way he'd take no for an answer.

Rather than going for the front door as he had done last time, Arnold went to the backyard and stood under the tree. "Helga!" he shouted loudly. He heard some rummaging up in the room and the music was turned down a little bit. Then Helga appeared in the window. She had obvious trouble opening it and she was only using one hand for some reason.

"Helga?" Arnold asked worriedly, but then she managed to open the window. She stuck her whole upper body out and that was when he noticed her holding a bottle in her hand. He sighed heavily. "Oh, no… Helga, are you drunk?" he asked. She frowned at him, obviously confused at why he would ask such a thing. Then she lifted the bottle in her hand and looked at it. "Oh!" she exclaimed and then smiled goofily at him. "Yep!"

Arnold started biting his lower lip. This was definitely something new. Helga was usually a girl who stayed the heck away from alcohol – her mother being an alcoholic might be a big part of the reason why, so it was easy to say that she was probably dead drunk from drinking whatever she was holding. "Can you open the door for me?" he asked.

Helga stuck more of her body out, as if she would get an answer from looking at the front door. "No! Get back in again!" Arnold yelled in a frenzy, surprising Helga enough to move right back in. "Are you insane?!" Arnold asked with panic in his voice. "No!" she answered to his rhetorical question. "No? That's your answer? No?" he asked with a frown. She looked thoughtful for a second and then nodded. "Yup!"

Arnold sighed and looked around. He noticed the tree and let his eye follow a particularly thick branch that actually reached almost all the way to Helga's window. _This is a bad idea…_ He reminded himself before positioning himself at the tree and started to climb. "Who are you, Tarzan?" Helga asked. "If I was Tarzan, I could just jump from here to your window, but I'm Arnold… so I need to climb my way instead." He answered with a crooked smile, when she smiled at his pseudo joke.

Arnold slowly put one foot against the other, until he had to crouch on the branch and look forward towards Helga. "You should probably move, so I don't hit you!" he suggested. Helga looked around. "Ok!" she answered and then disappeared from the window. With a determined sigh, he positioned himself and then jumped. With a small yelp, he grabbed the windowpane and let himself hang there for a second as he tried to comprehend what he was doing. _I'm the one who's insane!_ He decided as he pulled himself up.

"Helga!" Arnold called before he let himself land on the floor in a very ungracious manner. She had positioned herself on the floor next to her stereo and was just swaying from side to side as she listened to the music. He smiled a bit, happy to see that she hadn't disappeared completely. He looked around her room, which was a complete mess at this point. There was pizza boxes lying around, her clothes were laying at random places and her bed was missing the duvet while the pillow was on top of her laptop.

"When did you start drinking?" Arnold asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be 'two weeks ago'. Helga blew a raspberry at him while making a whiny sound, as she seemed to think about it for a second. "What time is it?" she then asked. "Uh…" Arnold muttered and looked towards her clock, which was so crooked, that he had to lean his head to the side to look properly. "Around 4:30." He answered. "Then for about two hours." She answered before putting the tip of the bottle to her lips.

_Two hours. That's… ok, I guess. It's not like she's lost her marbles or anything, but I'm not letting her drink anymore._ Arnold decided and stepped towards Helga. "Why did you start drinking?" he asked before sitting down next to her. "I hoped I would pass out like Miriam and forget this whole day." She answered in a slurry voice, still swaying a bit to the music. "What was wrong with _this_ day?" he asked.

"… I went to court." Helga answered, her eyes seeming to get distant at her answer. Arnold frowned in confusion. "Court? What were you… oh! About…" he said, but then went quiet. "Yeah! About my rapist, whose name apparently is Tevin! What the hell kinda name is that? It's like his name is mocking me too! Not only was I raped; I was raped by a man named _Tevin_!" she answered with a snort and then giggled.

Arnold couldn't help but smile a little. Helga's joke wasn't funny, not at all and nor was her situation, but it was just nice to see her smile, even if it was because of the alcohol. "So… how did it go?" he asked worriedly. "He's in jail now… and he's gonna stay there for a long time." She answered. "That's great!" Arnold said happily, but then she moved the bottle to her mouth again and took a big gulp from it. "But… then why are you drinking?" he asked.

"… Because I wanted to forget what his wife said to me after the trial." Helga answered. "He's got a wife?!" Arnold asked in shock to which she turned her whole head around to face him and nod at him violently. "Yes! And a _kid_! Two years old!" she answered as she showed two fingers to make her point more clear. "And he's got a kid?!" he asked, which she nodded at yet again and then leaned back to take another gulp.

"What did his wife tell you?" Arnold asked. "That I've ruined her family." Helga answered in a monotone voice. His eyes went wide at that revelation. "What…?" he muttered in complete shock. "She believes, and she made that very clear during the trial… that I seduced her husband, because there was no way he had the physical strength to rape _anyone_. He's a weakling, she says, so it was impossible that I couldn't have pushed him away… ergo, I seduced him myself." She answered and took another sip from the bottle.

Arnold couldn't believe his own two ears; this woman, the wife of a rapist, honestly thought that all of this was Helga's fault and the she now had wrecked her _perfect_ family. "Helga… his wife is wrong. She obviously doesn't know him. You know the truth. _I_ know the truth! I saw what he did to you. Look at yourself! You have bite marks, scratches and scars everywhere! How can those have been made by a weakling?"

Helga looked down at herself. She was dressed in a really long t-shirt, one that covered a big half of her thighs and her shoulders, but she could easily see the marks on her body. "If a weakling attacks a weakling then it's possible." She answered and put the bottle down. "Helga!" he said with slight anger, about to start ranting, when her body started twitching. "Helga?" he asked worriedly as a choking sound could be heard. "Oh, no." she announced, stood up and ran out of the room, knocking the bottle over in the process.

"Helga!" Arnold called and sat up on his knees, but then caught a sight of the bottle. Its content was spilling out on the carpet, so he lifted it, noticing there was still a lot in it. _Oh, that's good. She didn't have a lot to drink then._ He thought before standing up and following Helga into the bathroom. She was currently hunching over the sink, making choking sounds as the alcohol was pouring right out of her mouth, mixed with her lunch, which had consisted of mostly salad it seemed.

Arnold didn't know what else to do, but wrap Helga's hair into a ponytail to keep it from getting puked on. She seemed to tense up for a second as he did so, but he made sure his grip was as loose as possible, so she relaxed a little bit. About a minute later, she removed her face from the sink as she turned on the water. She used her hands to collect some water and then splashed her face with it.

"L-Let go." Helga begged and waved her hand at Arnold's hands, which removed themselves from her instantly. She bend over a little more as she kept splashing her face with water and started to drink some as well. "Weird… Miriam just falls asleep. I've never seen her vomit before…" she announced in a small voice. "Well, your mom is older… and probably more… uh, experienced with drinking." Arnold suggested which she nodded at in response.

"Yeah… seems like I'm puking all the effing time these days." Helga observed and turned off the faucet. "You've been vomiting before?" Arnold answered with slight worry. "Yeah, I, uh… I have nightmares and when I wake up, I need to vomit." She answered and arched her back to stand up straight. He sighed at that small confession. It was no surprise; her dreaming about what had happened that was. Her throwing up afterwards was probably rather natural.

"Want me to help you to bed?" Arnold asked which Helga shook her head at immediately. "No… No, uh… Just make sure that I don't fall and break any bones, ok?" She requested and started to walk out of the bathroom. _I guess she still won't let any male touch her._ He thought with anxiety and lifted his arms, ready to catch her in case she fell.

Helga managed to wobbly walk herself into her bed. With a deep sigh, she sat up again though. "Where the hell did my duvet go?" she asked. "Uh, here." Arnold said, grabbed the duvet from the closet and laid it on her. "Thanks." She muttered and let her head fall backwards. "Wait. Your pillow." he reminded her and went towards her laptop. He grabbed the pillow and walked back to her, but she already seemed like she was fast asleep. _Please don't wake up._ He begged in his mind, as he gently lifted her head to put the pillow beneath it and then laid her carefully back. _Thank God_.

Arnold looked around Helga's room and his nose cringed at the sight. _It really is a mess…_ He thought pensively and turned his head to look at the blonde girl in front of him. _I wonder if she'd be pissed if I cleaned up… just a little bit?_ He wondered in his head and decided to take the chance. He started collecting the pizza boxes into her trashcan, which was quickly filled within a few minutes. He then reached for the bottle, which probably belonged in Miriam's cabinet. The cabinet was placed in the kitchen and it was easy to find, since Helga had pried it open and left it like that.

When Arnold came back to Helga's room, all there was left was her clothes. He swiftly grabbed one piece of clothing after the other, not noticing what kind of clothes he was collecting. Not until he grabbed a pair of panties, flushed bright red and then dropped them to the floor. He could feel his heart beat at his ribcage, but then shook his head. _Don't be such a baby! I-It's just a pair of panties… H-Helga's panties._ He thought with a gulp, grabbed the panties as if they were poisonous and put them into the pile of clothes he had collected in his arm. _I'm sorry, Helga!_

When the room seemed more decent, Arnold had been about to walk out of the door to leave Helga to her nap. That was until he heard a gasp from her. "Helga?" he asked in surprise and turned his head around, expecting her to be sitting up, but she was still laying down on the mattress. He frowned, when she swung her head from one side to the other and then went still once again. "Hel… Helga?" he asked nervously and took a step towards her.

"No!" Helga gasped, causing the blonde boy to step back once again. She didn't have her eyes open though; there was no way she could have known he was approaching her. _She must be dreaming._ He decided in his head, but then came the real question: How could he wake her up from her nightmare without touching her? She then gasped again and rolled onto her stomach. She kept whimpering as she thrashed around in the bed.

"H-Helga!" Arnold called and stepped closer to the bed. She kept lashing around, even lifting her arms to push away an invisible attacker. Arnold looked around. _There's gotta be something I can… throw at her or something!_ He thought before his eyes fell upon one of the small pillows around Helga's head. With a quick yank, he took the pillow and threw it at her stomach. With a gasp, she sat up. "Are you all right?" he asked with scared eyes.

Helga took a couple of ragged breaths before she looked at Arnold. "What did you just do?" she asked with a frown and looked towards her lap, noticing the small pillow. She continued to frown as she looked up at him again. "What the actual fuck?" she said, causing the blonde boy to smirk a bit. "Uh… y-you were having a nightmare and I wanted to wake you up, so I… threw a pillow at you." he explained with an innocent shrug.

Helga kept frowning, but then she just rolled her eyes and threw herself back on the bed. "Thanks." She muttered as she pulled the pillow into her bosom. Arnold watched her with slight curiosity as she pulled her legs up close to her chest and started to cradle the pillow in her arms. She almost looked like a kitten trying to reposition herself until she was finally satisfied and seemed to fall asleep again. He cocked his head a little to the side. It was a cute view; nevertheless, it also seemed a little… desperate. As if, she was clinging onto the pillow to get some sort of comfort.

With a small frown, Arnold dared to step forward. Thinking she would catch a cold if he didn't, Arnold gently grabbed the duvet and pulled it all over her body. As he did so, Helga snuggled closer to the duvet and ended with half her face under it. Only able to see her closed eyelids and her blonde hair, Arnold felt his heart skip a beat. With a shake of his head, he shook off the feeling and turned around to leave Helga to her nap.

* * *

"Hey there, Shortman. You sure are late to - - Is something the matter?" Phil asked when he noticed the somehow sullen look on Arnold's face. He had just gotten into the living room where his grandpa had been reading the newspaper until noticing Arnold walking in. With a sigh, he let himself fall onto the couch on his back. "I went to Helga's house today…" he answered. "Oh?" Phil said and put the newspaper away. "And that went badly according to your mood?"

"Well… both yes and no." Arnold answered. "How so?" Phil asked as he quirked a curious eyebrow. "Well… she's been drinking." He answered. "Drinking?" Phil repeated. "Yeah, so she was drunk when I got there. Not hammered or anything, but it was weird seeing her like that. She usually stays away from alcohol, but she had deliberately pried open her mother's alcohol cabinet today to get loaded." Arnold explained. "She went to court today, so - - "

"Oh, don't tell me that they are letting him go?" Phil asked. "N-No, he's in jail by now she said. There was a lot of evidence against him, so that wasn't the problem… The problem was that he has a family and his wife blames Helga for what happened." Arnold answered. "What?!" Phil exclaimed with a shocked expression. "That was my reaction as well!" Arnold said as he sat up. "His wife called her husband a weakling and somehow that meant that there was no way he could have raped Helga! She thinks Helga wanted it herself."

"Wait…" Phil said and gave a pensive look. "Did his wife say that he was too weak to rape Helga during court?" he asked. "Yeah." Arnold answered, wondering what kind of thoughts were going through his grandpa's head. "Huh." He muttered and seemed to look into the distance as if mulling over something serious. "What are you thinking?" Arnold asked, unable to contain his curiosity. "Well, Shortman… this is just the thoughts of an old man trying to be Dr. Phil for a second, but I think his wife may have be a big part of the reason why this man raped Helga." He answered.

Arnold blinked a couple of times and then frowned. "How?" he asked simply, not able to come up with anything better to say. "Well, Shortman, think about it for a second." Phil requested and readjusted himself in his chair. "Let's say that this wife keeps telling her husband that he's weak, useless and so on. I'm not saying that makes his actions any less horrible, because it doesn't, but hearing those words again and again may have drove him crazy and eventually, he cracked. Violating Helga may have been his way to prove to his wife that he was strong enough to do such a thing."

Arnold blinked a couple of times yet again. "So… you think that this whole thing is the wife's fault?" he asked. "Oh, no! This man need to take responsibility for his _own_ actions; there's no doubt about that. I'm just trying to get inside his brain. It's fun, Shortman, you should try it!" Phil answered with a toothless grin and nudged his elbow at Arnold's upper arm. He gave a crooked smile, but then sighed yet again and flung himself down on the couch again. "If I wanna get inside _anyone's_ brain, it's Helga's…" he muttered with another sigh. "It seems like no matter what I say, she's hell-bent on this whole thing meaning that she's weak. It's like she's lost herself and I want to find her soul for her again, but I don't know where to look!"

"You really care about this girl, eh, Shortman?" Phil asked with a smug smile, though Arnold couldn't see that. With a sigh, he nodded in response. "You sure you don't have feelings for her?" Phil asked, causing the blonde boy to pop his eyes open and blush for a second, as the image of Helga lying on her bed, half covered by her duvet and finally sleeping peacefully, flashed through his mind. The blush was gone as quickly as it came though and he sighed a bit. "Please don't start that again."

"I'm just saying, Shortman, that no matter how awful this girl has treated you through the years, then you still accept and care for her. I mean, you've been walking around like a lion in a cage this past week just because Helga wasn't in school. Would you have been that worried if it had been anyone else?" Phil asked. "I-I don't know! It's not like I ever imagined this happening to anyone I know, and especially not _Helga_." Arnold answered as he sat up once again.

"Well, Shortman, you're a kind and considerate boy, so it's no wonder that you want to help Helga… but this is going beyond helping. Your sympathy for her is going to eat you up at some point, so at least admit that you have feelings for her and get that out of your system. Maybe then you'll be able to help Helga." Phil suggested. Arnold seemed to think about it for a second, but then shook his head dismissively and stood up. "Feelings or no feelings, that's not what this is about and it's not gonna help Helga either way."

"I think you're wrong." Phil pointed out as he grabbed his newspaper. Arnold, who had been on his way out of the room, turned around with a confused frown. "What do you mean?" he asked. "_I_ think, and again this is just an old man being pensive… I think it'd be good for Helga to know that someone out there has genuine feelings for her. I'm not saying that you should go to her house and propose to her or anything, but making sure that she knows how much you care about her might just help her through this." he explained as he started to scan the newspaper.

"Are you talking about caring or loving? Because there's a big difference." Arnold pointed out. "I'd like to say loving, but you're insisting that you don't so… let's go with caring. But telling her you love her might be more effective." Phil answered with a smile. Arnold rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do; lie to her?" he asked. "No, I want you to tell the truth." Phil answered. "Telling her I love her wouldn't be the truth!" Arnold stated stubbornly, which only caused his grandpa to look at him with skepticism. Arnold rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "You're crazy." He stated and walked out of the room.

"Love makes you crazy, Shortman!" Phil shouted from inside the living room. Arnold rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs. _Me in love with Helga. Yeah, sure, as if that would help her; having some guy suffocating her with something like that. It's the last thing she needs. She needs a friend… nothing more, nothing less._ He thought as he entered his room, but then frowned at his own thoughts. _Why am I phrasing it as if I'm holding back?_

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: For those of you who are waiting for the epilogue of 'Blackmail toy', it'll soon be up! I'm at least getting really close xD**


	7. Thanks for not worrying

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': **_**Arnold kept his promise and ended up staying outside Helga's house for a couple of hours, before she went outside and even threw him a blanket because of the cold. After a small conversation, Arnold promised not to worry too much about Helga and she promised to text him if she could think of any way he could help her.**_

_**To Arnold's distress, Helga wasn't interested in seeing him the first time he tried to visit, which resulted in his mood going down enough for the other students to not just notice, but even start to gossip about it.**_

_**When Arnold did get into Helga's house, mostly thanks to the fact that she had gotten herself drunk, he was told that her rapist, Tevin, had a wife who was blaming Helga for Tevin going to jail. Apparently, his wife didn't think it was possible for him to have strength to make such a violent act.**_

_**After throwing up, Helga went straight to bed and didn't even notice that Arnold started to clean up her room; not even when she woke up from a nightmare. When Arnold got home after that day, he talked with his grandpa about what had happened. Phil, as always, insisted on Arnold having feelings for Helga, which he dismissed as always.**_

**Author's 1st note: Don't know what to say… Best author's note ever… Enjoy! xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 7: "Thanks for not worrying"

Arnold hadn't expected anyone to interrupt him while he was doing homework, but that was exactly what happened. His phone had been placed on his nightstand and had been silent until the clock reached 9:44. He couldn't help but look curiously at his clock to confirm the time when the phone rang. "Odd time for a call…" he muttered before he stood up and started to walk lazily towards the bed. Then a thought crossed his mind and as he wondered if it was Helga making some sort of panic call, he realized that he had sprinted to the phone and grabbed it within two seconds. When he saw that it indeed was Helga, his blood ran cold.

"Helga? Are you all right?" Arnold asked in panic. "Ok, Arnold, listen to me and listen to me good; I'm horrible at doing things like this as you know, but I need to say this, so you'd better listen well, because I am not repeating it." Helga said so fast that Arnold had to repeat her words in his head, before he gave her a confused ok. "Thank you for coming to visit me despite me saying no. Thank you for listening to me despite not having to. And thank you for cleaning up my room despite it being a nosy thing to do. I… needed all that today. So thank you… and goodnight." She added before she hung up so abruptly that he couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the phone.

Arnold had no clue to what had just happened. He kept repeating Helga's words in his head repeatedly and when he finally felt a slight blush on his cheeks, he collapsed on the bed. _What in the world was that?_ He thought inside his head with a confused and a bit of a goofy smile. _Helga was… thanking me… Oh, my God, I need to tell Gerald this. He's not gonna believe it._ He added in his thoughts and then tapped at Gerald's name on his phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey, man. Random time for a call. What's up?" Gerald answered after only a few rings. "Helga just called me." Arnold answered simply. There was some silence on the other line for a few seconds, before Gerald finally spoke again. "Something wrong?" he asked. "Oh, no! She's fine…" Arnold answered, but then frowned at his answer. "Well, relatively. Anyways, I went to her house today and… without going into to many details, I kinda spoke with her a bit and I cleaned up her room while she was sleeping and then she just called me to thank me for everything… Can you believe that?"

"Nope. No way. I really can't. You sure you weren't dreaming?" Gerald asked which Arnold rolled his eyes at. "Gerald!" he scolded and imagined the African boy putting his free hand up in mock defense, despite knowing his best friend couldn't see him. "Sorry. It's just… Helga thanking anyone for anything? I mean, I know she isn't really herself at the moment, but… Oh, well, I'm happy for the both of you." he said.

"Uh… thanks? Anyways, that was pretty much what I wanted to tell you. I was just feeling a little funny at the fact that Helga Pataki thanked me… The conversation lasted less than a minute. She was obviously uncomfortable with thanking me, but she did it… She even said she was bad at such things, but she needed to say it nevertheless. That's kinda sweet, isn't it?" Arnold asked as he felt a weird smile appear on his face.

He was met with silence on the other line for a couple of seconds. "Yeah… sweet… _Sure_. We're still talking about Helga, aren't we?" Gerald asked. "Yeah, we only know _one_ Helga." Arnold answered with an annoyed frown. "And you're calling that girl sweet?" Gerald asked. "Ok, buddy, either you're really tired and need to go to bed or the girl's contagious and you've gone coo-coo as well. Goodnight."

And with that, Gerald hung up. Arnold frowned at the phone. _Why is everyone hanging up on me tonight?_ He wondered in his head, but then felt a big yawn develop from his throat and outside into the air. _I am tired though…_ He added as he looked at the clock once again. _It's still a little early… I'll just finish my homework and then go to bed._

* * *

Arnold managed to keep his former promise to Helga and stayed away from her until October kicked in and she was allowed back at school. Everyone knew this fact, so the gossip was already on a rather high level when Arnold got to school. For once, Gerald wasn't coming to get him, which he couldn't help but frown worriedly at. Whom he _did_ see, was Helga on her way towards the school gates.

Arnold couldn't help but smile at her. He was about to wave his hand high up in the air and call her name in a happily childish voice, until he figured that would call way too much attention to them; something she'd probably appreciate the lack of. Therefore, with that thought noted, he jogged towards her instead. When he was about to call her, his eyes widened at the way she looked; she had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was put in a more than a little lazy ponytail and he was pretty sure that the sweatshirt wasn't supposed to fall down her shoulder like that.

"Helga, are you ok?" Arnold asked. As soon as her usually blue eyes turned to look at his, he almost gasped. They were so glazed over that for a second, he was wondering if she was hung-over or perhaps took something. "I have chronic nightmares… I vomit every time I wake up… and my parents tells me to get my shit together… Yeah, I'm just aces." She answered in a tired voice and continued forward. He kept staring at her back for a little while, thinking that if people had deemed Helga a zombie before this day, they were in for quite a surprise.

Arnold didn't dare talking to Helga as they walked through the schoolyard. All he did was giving a few people a scowl if they were giving them sideways glances. He refused to let her be alone; at least not on her first day back. People were probably planning to question her and there was no way he'd let him. As if she didn't have enough problems already. To have the whole school gossip about her was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Helga!" a female voice called. Arnold smiled; already knowing it was Phoebe and turned around with a sigh in relief. At least she could help protecting Helga too. Helga herself turned around as well and seemed to do her best to give a somewhat tired smile, but it resulted in the corner of her lips just moving up a little bit, only to fall down almost instantly. "Hey, Phoebs…" she said as the Asian girl approached them, accompanied by Gerald who seemed more than a little awkward around Helga. All things considered, Arnold presumed.

"How are you feeling?" Phoebe asked as she opened her arms to bring Helga into an embrace. "Like hell." Helga muttered before her mouth hit Phoebe's shoulder gently. "Well, that's weird, because you look like crap." Gerald answered sarcastically, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Arnold had been about to scold him for his bad joke, when Phoebe suddenly gasped. Her eyes went wide, as Helga seemed to stumble a little into her. "Whoa, Helga! Are you sure you should be here?" she asked as she steadied her wobbly friend. Helga shrugged in response, but stumbled once again, this time letting Phoebe catch her. "Sorry… I'm really dizzy."

"It's ok, but shouldn't we take you to the nurse?" Gerald asked worriedly. Helga lifted her face away from Phoebe's shoulder to look at him and then shook her head slowly. "I don't wanna… see some nurse right now. I just need to sit down, I think." She answered. "Ok, then let's go to class." Phoebe suggested and snuck her arm around Helga's waist and started to walk with her. The two boys followed the girls meekly, but kept giving each other a worried glance.

When Helga got into the classroom, she was met with absolute silence. In wonder, she looked up to see that most of the people in the room where members of her old gang. They were all giving her different types of looks: worry, confusion and accusation were the top three. Accusation coming from Rhonda mostly. "Helga, are you all right?" Lila was the first to ask and even stood up to do so. Helga gave her a tired look and opened her mouth to speak, but then just shook her head. "What's wrong with her?" she asked worriedly, but the others just shrugged, not knowing exactly what to answer.

Without asking for permission, Lila allowed herself to grab Helga's other arm and helped Phoebe carry her to her seat. Helga sat down with a small bump and instantly placed her arms on the desk to steady herself. She looked like a druggie who hadn't had a proper fix in a week as she kept trying to steady her head. Lila placed a gently hand on Helga's forehead and waited a second before speaking. "Helga! You are ever so warm! I think you may have a fever." She said with scared eyes.

"I don't care." Helga answered, which Phoebe frowned at. "But, Helga - - " she started, but a very threatening look from the blonde girl made her shut her mouth. Helga wasn't aware of it, but Sheena had also got up from her seat to stand next to her. "Is there something we can do to help, Helga?" she asked kindly. Helga turned her head to look up at the tall girl. She opened her mouth to speak, which resulted in a hitch of breath. She took a couple of seconds to steady her breathing and then ended up shrugging.

"I wouldn't know what, Sheena…" Helga answered. The three girls looked worriedly at each other before nodding and starting to walk slowly towards their seats. "But…" Helga muttered, causing the girls and everyone else in the class for that matter to listen carefully. "Thanks." She added. Everybody's eyes popped open in surprise at that. Arnold being the exception. He had heard Helga thanking him not too long ago, but couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was capable of doing it in public like this. It perhaps wasn't as heartfelt as when she had thanked him, but he caught himself being happy about that fact, though he wasn't sure why.

"Y-You're welcome, Helga." Lila said in surprise and went straight back to Helga. "Yeah. You just come to us if there's anything we can do. _Anything_ at all!" Sheena chimed in with a big smile and went back to her as well. "We're here for you, Helga." Phoebe added as well and placed her hand on Helga's shoulder. Arnold gave a wide toothy smile at Helga, when he noticed how her eyes seemed to look toward him as if looking at him made her calm. When he smiled at her, she gave a very small smile back, but couldn't say anything more after that. Nor did she say anything through the rest of the day.

* * *

A couple of rather similar days went by. Helga always seemed groggy and tired, especially in the morning and seemed to want to be around Phoebe 24/7. Usually, Helga wasn't clingy. She was more of a lone wolf, so seeing her attached to anyone like a lonely puppy created quite a stir; particularly with said girl's boyfriend.

"It's not that I don't feel bad for Helga, 'cause I do, but does she have to steal Phoebe all the freaking time? I miss my girlfriend!" Gerald whined during lunch period. "Miss her?" Arnold repeated with an eyebrow quirked. "As soon as school is over, you're the one who's clinging to Phoebe and Helga's the one to go home alone. You still have most of her time." He pointed out, noticing how he had to hold back quite a few less kind words as he did so. He had observed how often he did that around everyone lately. He was holding back so much annoyance that he was afraid he'd explode at some point.

"I still miss her…" Gerald muttered sullenly. Arnold couldn't believe how irritated he was at Gerald. They'd had their fights through the years, but he had never been this annoyed with him. "You're being selfish…" Arnold muttered without even thinking about it beforehand. He could practically feel Gerald's shocked eyes burning holes in his forehead as Arnold didn't dare to look up at him. "Helga may have changed since she was raped, but she's still more selfish than me." Gerald said in a cold voice, obviously meant to provoke Arnold, which it did.

Perhaps a little too much even, because when Arnold lifted his eyes to look at Gerald, the boy felt a shudder of fright go through him. "I think we should change the subject before you make me do something I'll regret." Arnold suggested in a dark voice, and not dark as in low-pitch. Gerald frowned not in anger nor in confusion, but in something akin to fear. He had seen Arnold angry before – of course, he had; he had known the boy for 15 years – but he had never seen quite this much ferocity in his eyes. They hadn't even looked like that when he was angry at Helga, and he had been exceptionally angry at her in particular through the years. She was often the source of most of his anger actually. Perhaps that was why Arnold's eyes resembled Helga's at this moment; was it possible that when someone else lost the fire in their eyes, could someone else then overtake it?

Gerald and Arnold didn't speak through the rest of the lunch period. It wasn't until school was over that they made a silent agreement to simply not talk about Helga again in the near future. That turned out to become quite difficult really fast since Gerald still deemed Helga selfish and Arnold still deemed Gerald selfish for deeming Helga selfish, and knowing that the other felt that way made the atmosphere between them quite tense. It was so tense that some peers even started to notice; including the girl who was the source of the ordeal.

"Are those two fighting or something?" Helga asked in a somewhat indifferent voice, but her asking obviously meant she cared. Phoebe turned her head around to confirm whom her blonde friend was worried about. As she had suspected it was Gerald and Arnold who was sitting across the cafeteria, whom to Helga had referred. Phoebe had been waiting for her to notice what was going on, but she had also feared having to tell her the reason why. She wasn't even sure how to phrase it properly.

"Oh, I'm… not sure." Phoebe lied and returned to her lunch, hoping Helga's different mood lately would affect her curiosity. When she felt those blue eyes turn to look at her in skepticism, she realized her hope was shattered. "Is it because of me?" the owner of the blue eyes asked, causing the Asian girl to look at her in shock. "B-Because of - - Why would you think that?" she asked in a slight stutter. She knew Helga wasn't stupid and she was even quite observant; at least when it came to bad things considering her.

Phoebe's mind went on an intense brainstorm as she tried to figure out a way to weasel out of Helga's interrogating glance or at least make up an excuse to talk about it later. When she realized that she wouldn't be able to come up with anything, she sighed in relinquishment. "Well… I'm not sure if you want to know." She admitted, causing the blonde girl to frown slightly. "Tell me anyway." Helga requested with stubbornness in her voice.

Phoebe sighed once again and glanced towards Gerald in something akin to accusation. _I'm going to kill you for feeling this way, Gerald!_ She decided in her mind before looking at Helga again. "Gerald's just feeling a little lonely lately because I'm not eating lunch with him anymore." She said briefly, hoping for Helga to give up on the subject or at least realize that Gerald was being immature about the whole thing.

Helga's eyes widened for a second before she turned her head to look at Gerald and Arnold once again. "But what does that have to do with Arnold?" she asked. "Uh… Well, Arnold told Gerald he thought he was selfish for thinking like that…" Phoebe admitted, hoping Helga would be able to feel at least a little happy at that. She didn't seem to react at it though, except for sighing. She then stood up, grabbed Phoebe's tray and started walking.

"Helga?" Phoebe asked in surprise and stood up as well, having to follow her food tray. Helga walked across the room towards Gerald and Arnold's table. They didn't notice her until she put down the food tray in front of them. "Helga?" Arnold asked in surprise, starting to smile a bit because he was hoping this meant that Helga was ready to eat with them again. When Phoebe approached them though, wearing a confused look on her face, Helga grabbed her shoulders gently and seated her in a chair. After doing that, she turned on her heel and walked away until she was out of the cafeteria.

"What was that about?" Gerald asked in confusion. Phoebe turned to shoot him a dirty look, causing his eyes to pop open in surprise. "Well, Helga noticed you two acting weird, so I had to explain to her why my boyfriend is being a childish brat!" she answered, seething with anger. Gerald frowned at the harsh tone in her voice and placed his sandwich on his food tray with a small thud because of the force. "Am I childish for missing my girlfriend?" he asked. Phoebe nodded without hesitation, which made Gerald roll his eyes in disbelief.

"Wait, before you two have a quarrel, then why did you tell Helga the truth?" Arnold asked with a small frown, hoping that Helga hadn't been hurt too much by this. "What was I supposed to do, Arnold? Helga's an observant girl. She even knew from the beginning that it was somehow because of her." Phoebe answered with some sadness in her voice. "So… her reaction to this was to make you have lunch with Gerald while she would be alone?" Arnold asked and slowly turned to scowl at Gerald. "And you call her selfish."

"You what?" Phoebe asked in shock. "He calls her selfish." Arnold answered and stood up from his chair. "And while you try to knock some common consideration into your boyfriend's head, then I'll go talk to Helga, though I'm not the one she needs right now." He added as he gave an accusing glare in Gerald's direction. "Typical. When he misbehaves he's _my boyfriend_ rather than your best friend." Phoebe pointed out in mock annoyance, causing the blonde boy above her to smile for a second, though he was still mad because of the whole thing.

"Or what, Gerald, do you need to have _me_ around 24/7 as well?" Arnold asked. "No, you can go." Gerald answered with a small glare, which Arnold just glared back at before looking at Phoebe again. "Try to convince him to act like a decent human being, would you?" he begged. "Believe me; I'll try." Phoebe answered, before Arnold walked past her. He could hear Phoebe and Gerald starting to whisper heatedly at each other, obviously going at each other's throats already, but he didn't give it a second thought as he walked out of the cafeteria and started to look around.

It didn't take Arnold long before he found Helga. "Helga!" he called and jogged towards her. She stopped walking and turned around to look at him in slight surprise. "What is it?" she asked, knowing full well he had followed her for a reason. "I just wanted to make sure - - " Arnold started, but was then cut off by Helga. "That I was ok?" she suggested. "Uh… well, technically, yeah." He admitted. She sighed a bit as she lifted her hand to massage her temple. "I'm starting to see a pattern here. It seems like that's all you ask me lately."

"Um… how about I wanted to make sure that you know Gerald is the one who's wrong here?" Arnold suggested and asked at the same time. "Why is he wrong for missing Phoebe?" Helga asked. Arnold frowned at that. "Uh… because it's not like she's gone or anything… Besides, you need her more than he does." He answered, but regretted his words as soon as he had said them, when he noticed how Helga frowned at that. "I don't have any more right to _have_ her than Gerald does." She pointed out as she crossed her arms.

"Well, _no_, you don't have any more right per say, but… Oh, come on, Helga! I'm doing my best to phrase what I want to say properly, but I'm not really good at it." Arnold admitted. "I understand what you want to say perfectly, Arnold, I just don't always agree with you." Helga answered a bit seething, almost sounding like herself for a second. Arnold didn't know what to say to that, so he just stayed quiet for a couple of seconds. "Helga… can you really not think of anything I can do for you?"

"That seems to be a question intended for me only lately." Helga observed thoughtfully. "Yeah?" Arnold inquired with a small smile. "Yeah. All the girls ask me that all the time… Rhonda being the exception." Helga answered with a small shrug. "Well, that's no surprise; Rhonda can't worry about anyone else besides herself." Arnold answered, knowing that that sort of comment wasn't usually one he'd make, but he had been so upset with everyone lately that he allowed himself to say it anyhow.

Arnold did notice that Helga smiled a tiny bit at his comment though and then every ounce of guilt left his body. "You smiled!" he pointed out with a wide smile. Helga seemed to tense for a second. "Why does that make you so happy?" she asked. "I don't know. I guess it's because… it means you haven't lost yourself completely." He decided to admit; though he had a feeling, he would regret his honesty very soon. She didn't seem to register his words at first, but when she did, she started to gently nip at her bottom lip. "I don't feel like myself." She confessed as she looked away.

Arnold's shoulders dropped at that declaration. He desperately tried to think of something to say to Helga. Something comforting… something soothing… something encouraging. "I…" he started a little uncertain, gaining her attention and making her lift her head to look at him. "I know you don't… feel like yourself… but that's why I'm here… why Phoebe's here. That's why everyone keeps asking if there's something they can do for you… because we want you to feel like yourself again as soon as possible." He said with gentle determination in his voice.

Helga seemed surprised at Arnold's words at first. She even seemed touched; like she truly believed in him and in herself. Then, as if realizing some sort of cruel truth, her face clouded over. The expression change was so subtle yet so obvious. He had expected some self-loathing words from her as she had so often made lately. He hadn't really expected this though. "No one else but me can make me feel like myself." She said matter-of-factly.

"Well… I guess not, but that doesn't mean we can't help you find yourself." Arnold answered. "Look, it's a kind thought and I appreciate it, but facts are that despite all of you wanting to understand what I'm going through and help me, then I _am_ the only one who understands what I'm going through and I _am_ the only one who can help me." She said and then turned on her heel.

"You don't have to be alone while doing it!" Arnold insisted, but Helga kept walking away from him. He wasn't sure why, but it somehow felt as if he let her go now, she'd never truly believe that it was ok to receive help. "Helga!" he called in slight anger, only due to the slight panic roaming through him as he took a couple of long steps towards her. If his mind hadn't been so focused on stopping her, he'd might have given himself a second to remember _why_ Helga didn't want to eat with them and why stopping her by placing a hand on her shoulder was a bad idea.

Arnold could feel Helga's shoulder twitch violently in his palm before she turned around and stared at him with wide, scared eyes. She had felt as if lightning had struck through her when she felt his hand on her flesh. The area he had touched was still burning uncomfortably and because of that scorching sensation, the rest of her body started to feel unbelievably cold.

A serious tremor of an ice-cold sentiment soared through her body, causing her to shake uncontrollably. Much too recognizable images flashed through her mind and she hated them with every fiber in her being. Especially now since she couldn't even forget them in front of Arnold. Even he, a boy who couldn't harm a fly, reminded her of the monster who made her feel this way, simply because he was male as well; and it was _so_ unfair.

Arnold, himself, could feel his heart breaking at the frightened way Helga was staring back at him. As if she had thought, he would hurt her. He knew he couldn't blame her and he knew that her common sense told her he'd never touch her in a harmful way, but to know that she had been traumatized to the extent of her reflexes telling her to run away when he touched her… it was unbearable.

"I'm… sorry." Arnold whispered almost inaudibly, but he could see that Helga heard it, because her features softened a bit. _A bit_. She nodded gently. At first, they just kept their feet planted solidly on the floor beneath them, but then Helga seemed to start having some sort of tics. He stepped closer to her in a worry, but then she took a couple of steps backwards before turning around and running away. For a second, he considered following her… but instead sunk to the ground on his knees and watched her run away from him.

"Helga? Arnold? Are you guys… Oh, there you are!" Arnold heard a male voice behind him say. He knew it was Gerald by the voice, but he didn't have the strength to turn around and look at him. "What happened?" Gerald asked when he reached Arnold and noticed him sitting on his knees. "She flinched." Arnold answered in a small voice. Gerald frowned in confusion and looked around as if he thought something in the hallway would tell him what his best friend was talking about. "Uh… _who_ flinched?"

"Helga. Helga… _flinched_… when I touched her shoulder…" Arnold explained very slowly, incapable of understanding what had just happened. "Oh…" Gerald muttered and started to scratch his head. "Uh… why did you touch her?" he asked. "I tried to convince her that… she didn't have to be alone in all this, but she walked away… and flinched when I put my hand on her shoulder." Arnold explained. Gerald nodded in understanding. "But… that's understandable, right? I mean, she _was_ violated six weeks ago. She probably doesn't want to be touched by any men, even if she's known them since she was a child."

"But this is Helga!" Arnold said as he whipped his head around and looked up at Gerald. "Helga Pataki, the owner of the iron fists, who everyone knows are named Ol' Betsy and The Five Avengers! This is Helga, the tomboy, the girl who's been doing kickboxing since we hit puberty! This is Helga, who no one would dare to try to rape, punch or even speak against! Helga Pataki, the girl who was all that, _flinched_ when I touched her! She looked like a lamb in front of a wolf!"

_Bad metaphor, Arnold…_ Gerald thought briefly, but then gulped as Arnold's words soared through his mind. "Well, that's why we're here, right? To… get her back on track." He said with a small shrug. "… _We_?" Arnold repeated in surprise. "Yeah," Gerald said as he offered Arnold his hand. "Phoebe knocked some common consideration into my head." He added with a smile as Arnold took his hand. "Yeah?" Arnold inquired with a smile before Gerald started to rub the back of his head. "Yeah. She literally karate chopped me actually."

"I'd feel bad for you if I still wasn't convinced that you want to be there for Helga." Arnold pointed out with a crooked smile as he crossed his arms. "I'm there – I'm there. That's why I ran after you guys. Where did Helga go? I need to talk with her." Gerald asked and looked around. With a sigh, Arnold stepped aside and pointed with his thumb in the direction Helga had run. "Thanks, man. See you in class." Gerald said, patted Arnold's back and then ran in that direction.

"Helga!" Gerald called as he ran through the hallway, which was totally deserted. The lunch period had only started 10 minutes ago, so people were still eating. _Here I am, looking for the girl who's made my life miserable since preschool because I want to apologize._ Gerald thought ironically. He would've continued to think such things, if it wasn't because he could hear a gagging sound not too far away.

Gerald stopped when he noticed the sound was coming from the newly renovated girls' bathroom. "Helga?" he asked gently and knocked on the door. The gagging faded slowly until it disappeared completely. When he heard some steps being taken inside the room, he stepped aside in time for Helga to fling the door open. She looked at him in slight disbelief before turning on her heel and walking back in. Gerald stepped forward, grabbed the door and looked at her as she crumbled over the sink and started to smear her face with water.

"Did you just vomit?" Gerald asked. Helga sighed and then nodded. "… You've been doing that a lot, haven't you?" he added. She turned her head to look at him. "If you wanna say something, just say it." she said, almost challengingly. Gerald didn't though; he just kept looking at her, knowing she knew what he was suggesting. "I changed my mind; don't say anything. I know what you're thinking anyway." She said as she turned her head to look at herself in the mirror. "It's crossed my mind as well."

"So… what are you gonna do?" Gerald asked. "What is there to do, but… confirm it?" Helga asked with a shrug. "Or disprove it." Gerald added hopefully, but when she gave him a skeptic glance, he remembered how bad he was at looking at the positive side. "Want someone to come with you?" he asked. She turned to look at him as she cocked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah. _Phoebe_." she answered. "Hey, I just wanna help if I can." Gerald pointed out in mock defense. "… Really?" she asked which Gerald nodded at in response. "Yeah. Really. I've been childish about this, and I'm sorry about that. I want to help if there's something you want, but I still insist that I'll leave you alone if you don't want anything from me."

"… Thanks. Seems like you're the only one who knows I want to be left alone. Everyone else is all over me." Helga observed with a small sigh. "That's just because they're so worried they can't help themselves." Gerald answered. "So… what you're saying is that you actually don't care enough to worry that much?" she asked with something akin to her past sarcasm. "Pretty much, yeah." Gerald joked and knowing Helga knew that, he smiled at her. She snickered almost inaudible, arched her back and walked past him. "Thanks for not worrying then."

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: I'm thinking it's safe to say that a chapter will be uploaded each week from now on or something close to that :P**


	8. What does it say?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** After Helga came back to school, the gang slowly realized that her health was lacking in more ways than one. When Phoebe made it her mission to be around Helga 24/7, Gerald started to feel left behind by his girlfriend. When Helga realized that he felt that way, she pushed Phoebe back to him, causing Arnold to run after her and forgetting for a moment that he shouldn't touch her.**_

_**Gerald later found Helga hunched over the sink, when he came to apologize to her. He questioned her health and she told him that she's going to have it checked soon and thanked him for not being all over her like a lot of other people was.**_

**Author's 1st note: Uh… yeah… Um… So much for the "once a week" thing, eh? xD There **_**might**_** even be another chapter tomorrow… The reason why I said once a week is mostly because of school. I figured it was realistic, but since a chapter was finished for Friday, I had a bunch of time to do it this Saturday as well. So, I guess you can think like this: 'If AiraChica uploads a chapter Friday, there's a big chance she'll upload Saturday or Sunday as well', ok? xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 8: "What does it say?"

_It's been two months…_ Helga thought tiredly as she looked at her calendar. It wrote: 'Wednesday. 6th of November'. Exactly two months since the Friday night that changed her in every way possible: The way she looked at herself, the way others looked at her and the way she felt around herself. She hated being in her own body, hated the way her brain insisted on reminding her who she once thought she was and was no longer. Unfortunately, she had to be around herself all the time. It wasn't like she could leave her body, though she had tried once by drinking.

When Helga felt a, by now, familiar sense of nausea, she sighed a bit and swung her legs out of her bed. With some slightly wobbly steps, she managed to get herself into her bathroom, locked the door and placed her face over her sink. She had given up on vomiting the toilet bowl by now; she was vomiting too often, and it wasn't like she loved to have her head stuck in the toilet. _Ugh, I hate myself…_ She thought inside her head, only half sarcastically, before she lifted her head and looked at her face in the mirror.

Helga's eyes were still as glazed as ever, hiding the usually diamond blue color behind the layer of tears. She hadn't even cried that much… lately. It was mostly when her nightmares became too realistic or if she caught sight of the word 'wrestling' that she felt like crumbling to the floor in fetal position. This was one of those days, so she lifted her arm to wipe away the tears violently, making her eyes all puffy and red from the force.

Helga had expected herself to wake up this way on this particular day. She had decided to tell Phoebe a small truth she had been hiding; though that wasn't the part she was nervous about. The part that made her nervous was that when Phoebe knew the truth, Helga knew she'd make her take the test… and with Helga's luck, she knew she probably wouldn't like the answer. She turned around, leaned up against the sink for a second to steady herself and then walked out into the hallway again.

"Helga!" the voice of Bob called, causing Helga to sigh a bit as she stopped walking, or rather wobbling. "Yes?" she inquired though she didn't wish to hear what he wanted to say. "Would you stop throwing up so early in the morning! Get yourself together! A Pataki doesn't keep thinking about the past! Get over it!" he yelled from downstairs. She didn't answer that as she just continued to her room and walked inside.

Helga slammed her back against the door to close and then let herself slide to the ground until her bum hit the soft carpet beneath her, which had started to feel less soft ever since… two months ago. With a sigh, she pulled her knees up to her chest and let her arms rest on the knees as her head sunk in-between them. _Oh, if only I could just get over it, Bob…_ She answered inaudibly to her dad's order and then noticed a tear falling to her carpet, making it slightly darker for a couple of seconds.

* * *

Arnold wasn't feeling too well himself either, though what he was feeling couldn't be compared to Helga. Ever since the accidental touch between them, he had been drowning in his own guilt and that guilt was appearing in his dreams. The dreams never lasted long; they usually consisted of him touching Helga and then she'd literally crumble into small pieces and be blown away by the wind. He knew the dreams were ridiculous, probably laughable since they were so unrealistic, but they still stung.

Even Gerald was starting to notice how tired Arnold seemed to look recently. "Shouldn't you be home in bed, man?" he asked as he patted his best friend's back on this cold November morning. Arnold shook his head slowly. "No… Phoebe mentioned something about…" he answered, but was then cut off by his own yawn. "Something about Helga might want to talk with me at some point today, so I'm staying until that's either confirmed or the opposite."

"Phoebe said that to you too?" Gerald asked curiously, causing the shorter boy to turn his eyes to him. "You too?" he asked, which Gerald nodded at. "Yeah… she said that Helga hadn't even spoken to her about it, but she had a feeling that something serious is going on." He answered. Arnold cocked an eyebrow at the way Gerald had phrased his answer and the somewhat nonchalant tone in his voice. "You wouldn't happen to know what Helga wants to talk about… do you?" he asked.

"Well… Remember when I ran after her that day during the whole lunch thing?" Gerald asked. "Uh, yeah, the day I touched her." Arnold added. Gerald sighed a bit, but nodded nevertheless. "Anyways… I kinda caught her vomiting and I… Well, we didn't really say it out loud as such, but it was pretty clear that we were thinking the same thing." He answered as he tucked the corner of his mouth to the side. "What were you thinking?" Arnold asked, feeling a small spark of envy at Gerald knowing something about Helga that he did _not_.

"Think about it for a second, Arnold… What does it usually mean when a girl throws up pretty often, especially in the _morning_?" Gerald asked as he crossed his arms. Arnold blinked a couple of times, sighed and pulled on a pensive face. A few seconds went by before he opened his eyes again to look at Gerald. "I have a feeling I should know, but I don't have a clue." He admitted with a shrug. Gerald rolled his eyes, then leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

Arnold's eyes gradually became larger, until his mouth popped open and he stepped back in absolute horror. "No way!" he answered to Gerald's words. "Arnold, think about it. You honestly think that the guy who raped her used _protection_?" Gerald asked. "Well… n-no, but… Come on! Helga is _not_ pregnant; she throws up because she has constant nightmares about that man! There's nothing else to it." Arnold answered with a frown as he shook his head like a stubborn child.

"Why are you suddenly in such denial?" Gerald asked in slight annoyance, since Arnold usually wasn't one to not be realistic. "I'm not in denial! I just refuse to believe that… that… that the universe would be that cruel!" Arnold answered as he shut his eyes tight. That confession surprised Gerald and he was about to question it, but Arnold continued himself. "I don't believe that the universe would have such a cruel sense of humor! As if this happening to Helga wasn't horrible enough, _now_ she might possibly be pregnant as well! On top of being raped, she might be carrying his child?! What kind of cruel world would allow that?!"

Gerald was thinking that he should have known Arnold's reaction would be something akin to that. With a small sigh, he moved his arm and placed it over Arnold's shoulders. He rocked him a little awkwardly, since Gerald wasn't one to get all emotional and even this sideways hug felt weird. Arnold sighed at the touch, knowing that Gerald was doing his best to comfort him. He couldn't help but think that he wasn't the one deserving comfort at a moment like this.

"So… Helga has taken the test and Phoebe thinks she'll tell her the answer today or something?" Arnold asked as he looked at Gerald. "No. As far as I'm concerned, then Helga hasn't even told Phoebe that she's suspecting she might be pregnant. Phoebe is wondering if Helga would confess that to her today though." Gerald answered as he let go of Arnold's shoulders. "But what does that have to do with us?" Arnold wondered aloud. "Phoebe told me she had a feeling that even if Helga wasn't interested in having us around while she took the test, she'd might want us there later on." Gerald answered.

"But… why? I mean… all things considered then we're still male. Even if this wasn't the cause of her being… _violated_… then wouldn't a normal girl not want guys around for something like that?" Arnold asked. "Well, she didn't mean for us to be actually _in the room_ while she took the test, but more like for emotional support in the next room after she gets the answer." Gerald explained, causing Arnold to blush slightly at even the _idea_ of being in the bathroom with Helga while she would…

Arnold shook his head violently to get the odd images out of his head. "Well, that's not gonna happen. At least not for me. She wouldn't want me there after I forgot something as important as - - " he said, about to go into one of his rants about how inconsiderate he had been at that moment – a rant he had been making a few times since then – until Gerald stopped him. "Hey, _I_ doubt Helga will want me there as well, but Phoebe insisted that she'd might want us there, so we're gonna be there, ok?"

Arnold opened his mouth to protest, but then bit his lip and nodded. "Of course… If Helga wants me to support her, I will. I just… have a hard time believing she'll want that." Arnold confessed with another sigh and started walking. He knew Gerald was following him, even without him saying a word. None of the boys knew what to say anyhow. Nor did they know how to react when Phoebe texted them later that day and told them to meet her and Helga outside the gates when school was over.

* * *

As Helga was sitting on a bench not too far away from the school gates, she let her conversation with Phoebe from a few hours ago roam through her mind. She had felt so weird talking to Phoebe about this, especially since it was a nightmare coming true if her suspicions were correct. She could feel her body fighting against her mind. While her heart refused to believe that such a… _thing_ could be growing inside of her, then her brain told her that of course there was and that she even deserved it.

Helga wanted to believe that it was unfair. That the suffering was unfair. The raping and now… _this_… but she couldn't. There was a part of her, which believed she had deserved the treatment, she had gotten, and that she deserved to have a part of him with her at all times. Not just the images of him hovering above her or even the feel of his hands and mouth on certain places on her body, which she still scrubbed in much too how water when she showered… which had been a lot.

Telling Phoebe about her suspicions on this matter had been horrible, but not necessary she had realized. Phoebe wasn't surprised at what Helga had wanted to talk about, and she simply nodded through the whole thing. The only thing she spoke was a question about whether Helga would want Gerald and Arnold to know. Helga admitted that Gerald already knew while Arnold didn't, but she didn't mind if Phoebe would tell him.

Helga let herself think about Arnold for a second, something she had grown accustomed _not to_ ever since Friday the 6th of September. There was still that voice inside her heart that told her that she was in no position to allow herself to think any positive thoughts about that boy anymore. Or any positive thoughts really. She didn't even allow herself to hope that her suspicions were wrong, but that didn't mean that she was accepting this fate either. She had simply decided not to think about it. She had shut her mind down completely; it was the only way, she could keep going and she knew that.

"Helga!" a female voice called, forcing the blonde girl out of her thoughts and looking up towards it. She could see Phoebe jogging towards her with Gerald and Arnold in a tow. Helga couldn't help but frown a bit in confusion. "Uh, Helga, I told Gerald and Arnold about the whole thing…" Phoebe admitted when they reached her. Helga looked towards the two boys, not at all surprised that they knew as well. Gerald had already known and there was no way he'd be able to keep a secret from Arnold even if his life depended on it.

"Sure." Helga muttered, noticing how little she cared whether they knew or not. "So… Helga, I was wondering if you'd like for them to come with us to the drugstore?" Phoebe asked. _That_ Helga hadn't seen coming. She blinked a couple of times and then turned her head to look at the boys questioningly. "Do they _want_ to come along?" she asked. They all looked a little unsurely at each other, not certain who she was asking, but then they all nodded. "Only if you'd want us there." Arnold couldn't help but add.

"Whatever." Helga declared in a mutter before standing up. Without warning or another word, she started to walk. Phoebe quickly caught up with her and walked besides her. She turned her head around and noticed how Gerald and Arnold were struggling to keep up as well. Even without saying so, they all knew that they were thinking the same thing: Would Helga be able to buy a pregnancy test in her state?

* * *

They got their answer about fifteen minutes later, when the small group of friends found themselves in front of the local drugstore. Helga didn't walk in right away as she seemed to read the sign over and over again. "Do you want me to come with you, Helga?" Phoebe asked gently. She didn't answer, but simply stepped forward and lifted her hand to grab the door handle. After that, she froze. Her friends kept observing her as they noticed how her hand started to shake.

Helga pulled her hand into her chest, making the other hand grab her wrist to force it into stillness. "I can't." she said simply. Phoebe knew her too well to not know that this wasn't a moment where a little persuasion would help; there was no way Helga was going inside. "Then I'll go." Phoebe said with determination and grabbed the door handle. "Wait. The money." Helga pointed out in a low voice and stuck her hand into her pocket. "Oh, thanks, I… Oh, dear!" Phoebe exclaimed and closed the door behind her. "My mom's in there!"

"What?!" Gerald exclaimed and stepped closer to the door to peek inside through the glass. He could recognize Reba Heyerdahl's big, red, curly hair at the desk. "What is your mom doing there?" he asked as he stepped aside again. Phoebe lifted her hands to cover her eyes in embarrassment. "She started working in there a week ago and I _forgot_! How can I forget such a thing?" she wondered aloud and then removed her hands to reveal a pair of big, frightened eyes. "I can't buy a pregnancy test from my mom; she'll think _I'm_ pregnant!"

"Then I'll buy it." Gerald suggested and was about to grab the door handle, until Phoebe grabbed his hand to stop him. "No! If _you_ do that, then my mom is going to think that you're buying the test for _me_! Or worse, that you're cheating on me and got some other girl pregnant!" she pointed out and let go of his hand. "Well, then what?" Gerald asked with a frown. "I'll do it." Arnold answered with resolve.

While Phoebe and Gerald looked at Arnold in disbelief, Helga simply turned her head to look at him. His offer didn't surprise her to be honest; she knew him and knew how much he wanted her to start trusting him again. It wasn't like it was a conscious choice of hers not to trust him… but she couldn't help her discomfort around men and even if she knew that he knew that was the reason, then it still hurt him… and it pained her to know that she was wounding him.

Before Phoebe and Gerald could question Arnold, Helga stepped forward and offered him the money in her hand. She didn't dare to look at him as she could see his hand reaching for the money, obviously making sure not to touch her fingers as he did so. "Thank you." she whispered in a low voice. "Anytime." Arnold answered before walking past her. She could hear the doorbell ring as he walked inside the drugstore and she turned around to look a little worriedly at Phoebe and Gerald. They all knew what the others were thinking; there was no way in a million years that Reba would _not_ recognize Arnold.

As soon as Arnold was out of hearing range from his friends, he gulped. _Oh, man, what am I doing?_ He questioned himself and started to walk through the store. _Ok, if I were a pregnancy test, where would I… No, I am not asking myself that._ He decided with a shake of his head and kept browsing. It didn't take him too long to find the small area with feminine products, pregnancy tests being one of them. He gulped and looked at the different names he came across and frowned. _How am I supposed to know which one to buy?!_

"Excuse me, young man, can I help you?" a female voice behind him ask, causing Arnold to jump ten feet into the air and turn around to stare at the female clerk in front of him. "Arnold? What are you doing here?" Reba asked with a big smile. Arnold was about to answer, until she leaned to the side and noticed what he had been looking for. She frowned a bit and looked a little skeptically at him. "Why are you… looking at these?"

"Uh… It's a… Uh, you know… I-It's not what you think! I, uh… The boys… Y-Yeah, the boys from the class, they-they're daring me to buy one just to, y-you know, see how they work! You know me, I can't say no." Arnold answered, followed by a nervous laugh. The fact that Reba simply crossed her arms and gave him a skeptical look told him he had failed at lying; not a big surprise. "Please don't tell anyone." He then added.

"Please calm down, Arnold." Reba requested as she put a soothing hand on Arnold's shoulder. He took a deep breath and tried to relax himself as she had requested and then dared to look at the redheaded woman once again. "I am not judging you. If anything, I am proud of you having the guts to come in here and buy the test for your girlfriend. I often see girls at your age doing this alone, so it's refreshing to see a boy taking the bullet. You're a sweet boy." She said as she removed her hand.

"Th-Thank you…" Arnold replied thankfully and smiled awkwardly. "You're welcome, Arnold, though I have to wonder why Phoebe hasn't mentioned you getting a girlfriend? She usually mentions at least such facts to us at home, so… is it a secret? I won't pry if that's the case." Reba said with a gentle smile. Arnold could feel himself blush under the woman's gaze since something told him that she was going through the options in her head. "I think I know who it is though…" she added.

_Crap_. Arnold thought embarrassedly. He wasn't sure why this part made him so nervous. It didn't matter whom Reba thought he had gotten pregnant, did it? She wouldn't tell on him; he knew she wouldn't. She wasn't the kind of woman to do such a thing. So… why was this part making his heart pound so much faster? Then he realized; Reba already had someone in mind. How was that possible? He didn't have a girlfriend, so how could she come up with a realistic candidate already?

Curiosity overtook Arnold and he couldn't help but ask her, who she though was his girlfriend. Reba gave a knowing smile. "Oh, please. I've been thinking it's been a long time coming, actually. Unless of course you two have been hiding your relationship for a long time? You must be really good at it if not even Phoebe knows you're dating her best friend." She answered. Arnold frowned at her answer, wondering whom she was thinking of, but then the words '_Phoebe's best friend_' repeated themselves in his mind. "Y-You think I'm dating Helga?" he asked in a whisper, almost unable to believe the suggestion.

"There's no reason for you to get shy, Arnold. I understand why you two are hiding it. I mean, your friends would probably be quite surprised at hearing that the cat and the mouse were suddenly dating." Reba pointed out with a small giggle. Arnold couldn't help but give an awkward, crooked smile. "Sure… Yeah, that's why we're… hiding it. So, if you could please not mention it to anyone?" he begged, hoping that his voice didn't sound as distant as it felt. _Reba Heyerdahl thinks I'm dating Helga Pataki… How did she come up with that conclusion?_ He wondered and simply had to ask her. "How did you know?"

"How? Oh, Arnold, even when you were children, I was sure that you two would eventually start dating at some point. It was quite obvious that Helga had feelings for you because of all the teasing and you were always her friend despite that, so I knew there was something between you. I'm just happy that you're together, but I sure do hope that you'll use condoms from now on." Reba answered as she started to look through the pregnancy tests.

Arnold wanted to argue against Reba's reasoning for him to date Helga, but caught himself not being able to do it. He couldn't think of any arguments against it, and he couldn't deny hers either. He _had_ always forgiven Helga for her teasing, bullying and pranks, and technically, she had always teased _him_ in particular. He had always insisted that she actually _did_ hate him though… _Always?_ Arnold repeated in his mind. Just how often had people suggested that he and Helga had feelings for each other anyway? It was mostly his grandpa, but even Reba thought so… Did anyone else think that he and Helga should date?

"If you don't mind me doing so, then could I recommend this pregnancy test?" Reba asked and grabbed a small white and blue package from the shelf. Arnold blinked a couple of times to get himself out of his train of thoughts and looked at it. "It's probably the easiest one. It simply says pregnant or not pregnant, and I'm thinking you two would prefer a clear answer. It's more than 99% accurate." She explained and offered him it. He took the package gingerly and eyed the name on it. "Yes, thank you. A clear answer would be nice."

"May I ask how far she is?" Reba asked as she started to walk towards the cash register, Arnold following her meekly. "Uh… t-two months exactly." He answered, causing the woman to stumble a bit in surprise. "Two months?! Why have you been waiting this long to take the test?" she asked as she grabbed the package from him again. "Uh… because we… are stupid teenagers?" he suggested with a nervous chuckle and then felt his shoulders lift themselves as if he could cower beneath them.

Reba sighed a bit as she started to beep the package into the system. "All right, but let me remind you that if you two wish for her to have an abortion, it needs to be done before she's three months in." she said as she grabbed the money Arnold was offering. His eyes widened. "Oh, right, there's a deadline." He reminded himself and sighed. "Here." Reba said and offered him a small bag with the package inside. "Oh, and take these as well." she added as she showed him a few brochures.

Rather than letting Reba put them into his bag, Arnold grabbed them and started to scan the titles. They were about teen pregnancy, abortion and how to receive help at different places. He was about to decline them, thinking that Helga probably didn't wish to read them anyhow, but then gave an appreciative nod and put them into the bag before grabbing it in his hands. "Thank you, Mrs. Heyerdahl. And please keep quiet?" he begged. "My lips are sealed." She answered with a kind smile before he turned around and walked outside.

As soon as the cold wind hit Arnold's face, he let his back hit the wall hard. "You ok?" Gerald asked as he put a strong hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Arnold nodded. "Yeah… Reba just recognized me, so I'm probably going to try to avoid her from now on… If you don't mind, Phoebe." he answered. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Arnold." She answered. "No, it's ok. I got the test and… some brochures." He said and opened the bag for Helga to look inside it.

Helga stuck her hand into the bag and pulled a brochure up. When she saw the title 'Teen pregnancy', she frowned deeply and threw the brochure violently back into the shopping bag. She chewed at her bottom lip before she grabbed the shopping bag and started to jog away. Phoebe sighed a bit, gave the boys a knowing look and then they all followed her.

* * *

Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold kept watching Helga as she read the manual for the pregnancy test for about the seventh time. "Helga, you're not gonna get an answer by reading that." Gerald pointed out. She gave him a scary look. "How about you go and check if you're carrying the baby of a monster, _then_ you can come back and try to hurry me into doing the same?" she suggested before returning to reading the manual.

Gerald looked pleadingly at Phoebe, who nodded at him. "Helga…" she said gently. Despite Helga not looking at her, Phoebe knew she had gained her attention by the way her eyes stopped following the words on the manual. "I bet you could do a presentation by now about how to take this test by now. All there's left to do, is to do it. I know you're scared. We're all scared on your behalf, so go out there, come back in and tell us that we've been scared for no reason." She ordered gently.

Without a word, Helga stood up from her bed and walked into the hallway, leaving her friends alone in her room. They all sighed in relief and smiled at each other. "Nice pep talk, but what if she's pregnant and lies about it?" Gerald asked. "There's no way she can. If she's really carrying Tevin's child, she's going to go mental." Arnold answered as he started to cradle his scalp with his fingers.

Both Gerald and Phoebe looked at him questioningly. "Tevin?" they repeated in confusion. Arnold lifted his head to frown at them. "I understand why you don't know, Gerald, but how come Helga hasn't told you, Phoebe?" he asked. She shrugged. "Who is he?" she asked. "It's… her rapist. His name's Tevin." Arnold answered. Phoebe and Gerald's eyes popped open. "_Tevin_?" Gerald repeated in disbelief. "Yeah, Helga joked about it too." Arnold answered with a small frown.

"Wait, hold on. How come Helga told you that and not Phoebs?" Gerald asked as he gestured to his girlfriend next to him. "I think I only know because I caught her drinking once." Arnold answered. "You caught her drinking?!" Phoebe repeated in shock. "Yeah, uh… While she was suspended, I caught her drinking from her mom's cabinet." Arnold answered. "Wait…" Phoebe thought pensively. "If Helga's been drinking… then doesn't that mean that her - - "

A loud thud from the door slamming open cut Phoebe off before she could finish her question. Helga walked inside with a couple of big strides and then crouched in front of her nightstand. They all watched her curiously, before she grabbed a bottle from the nightstand and started to drink from it. "Helga!" Phoebe scolded, when she noticed that it was alcohol and then stood up to grab the bottle out of her friend's hand. "Hey! I need to pee on that test, you know!" Helga pointed out and tried to grab the bottle, but Phoebe stepped back. "Then drink water! Not…" she answered and looked at the bottle. "Sunset." She finished with a cringe of her nose.

"Rum goes right through me!" Helga argued and grabbed the bottle again. "You've been drinking enough to know that?!" Phoebe asked in shock and grabbed the bottle once again. "You're not my mom!" Helga argued childishly and grabbed the bottle once again. "_No_, because then she wouldn't worry about you!" Gerald answered, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, and grabbed the bottle from the shorter girls, making sure none of them could grab it.

Helga was surprised at Gerald's words, but they seemed to make her calm down. She eyed Phoebe for a second and gave an apologetic look, which Phoebe nodded at with a smile. "Let me help you take the test, Helga." She begged and placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. She nodded weakly and let Phoebe follow her out of the room. Both Gerald and Arnold sighed. Gerald turned the bottle around and read the label. "Whoa, this rum is strong as fuck!" he exclaimed in pure shock. "Well, it _is_ Miriam's." Arnold pointed out with a frown and gave another worried sigh.

* * *

Gerald and Arnold started to get more and more impatient, when they could finally hear footsteps outside. They were doing their best to prepare themselves for whichever kind of Helga might be walking through the door, but when they saw that Phoebe walked in alone, they held their breaths. "She refuses to look at the answer." She said, causing the two boys to exhale exasperatedly. "Why?" Gerald asked. "What do you mean 'why'? Why do you think?!" Arnold asked in annoyance and stood up. "Is she saying anything?"

"She actually told me to go get you." Phoebe answered. Arnold's eyes went wide at that answer. "What? Why me?" he asked, feeling both honored and scared out of his mind. "Who cares? Just go, man, she needs you!" Gerald answered before pushing at Arnold's lower back, making the blonde boy jog out of the room and towards the bathroom. "H-Helga?" he asked gently and knocked on the door. When he didn't receive an answer, he took a deep breath and then walked slowly inside.

Helga was standing in front of the sink, one hand resting on it and the other holding the pregnancy test. "Helga? What does it say?" Arnold asked gently, closing the door behind him. After a few seconds, she turned around slowly, as if a marionette not working properly. She looked at him with empty eyes. She took a couple of steps towards him, lifting her hand towards him, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell forward.

"Helga!" Arnold exclaimed in panic and stepped forward to catch her. As he did so, he was forced onto his knees. He called her name a couple of times as he lifted her into his arms and turned her around, so he could look at her face. He tried to slap her cheek gently to wake her up until he noticed the pregnancy test in her palm. While holding his breath, he moved his hand to hers and turned her wrist around so he could read the words on it.

As Arnold read the small declaration, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. "_No_…" he muttered before turned his face against Helga's hair and started to nuzzle his nose into her blonde locks. "No…" he repeated dreadfully and started to cradle her desperately in his arms as he gently rocked her. "No!"

"Arnold!" a pair of voices called, though Arnold didn't hear them until the door was opened. "What happened?" Gerald asked when he noticed Helga on the floor with Arnold's arms around her. Arnold lifted his head to reveal his tearstained face, causing Phoebe to shake her head slowly from side to side in disbelief. When he turned Helga's wrist to show them the written words in it, Phoebe started to sob violently as Gerald held her.

Arnold tried to sigh, but the sound hitched in his throat and became almost a gagging sound. He let go of Helga's wrist and used his now free hand to hold her head up to his shoulder. As he let go of Helga's wrist, the pregnancy test rolled lazily out of her hand and onto the floor. It kept rolling until it hit the bathroom wall, stopping as it revealed the word 'Pregnant'.

**Author's 2nd note: Bam, bam, baaaaam! (Yeah, unfitting joke, sorry!) You probably saw it coming since I've been hinting at it, buuuuut a few of you may be surprised, who knows? xD**


	9. I'll be there when you tell him

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** After two months of feeling like a monster was inside her head, Helga had to realize that another monster might be in her stomach as well. With the support of Arnold, Gerald and Phoebe, she decided to go to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test. To her dismay, but also happiness, she couldn't go in, but Arnold volunteered to do it in her place.**_

_**During that time, Arnold met Phoebe's mother Reba inside, who was convinced that Arnold was the one to have made Helga pregnant, since she was sure they were dating in secret. Unable to figure out a way to convince her otherwise, he let her stay in that belief.**_

_**Making Helga take the pregnancy test was harder than they had imagined, but when she finally did, Phoebe told Arnold that Helga wanted him to be with her. When he got inside, she fainted as she read the words 'pregnant' on her test.**_

**Author's 1st note: Two in one day? I'm such an overachiever XD Meh, I'm simply on a roll and I'm guessing no one is complaining? xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 9: "I'll be there when you tell him"

Helga could hear faint voices somewhere. Probably around her, but they felt so far away. She couldn't recognize them despite she was trying to. She could hear a female one amongst two males. The voices were… worried… panicked… frightened. When she felt a hand on her own, she twitched, or at least she thought she did. She wanted to flinch, but her body wasn't listening to her. A voice moved closer to her ear, whispering in a sad, yet begging voice. She tried to move her head to the side. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but when she did so, she felt a hand over her dry mouth. The hand was forceful and familiar, but only slightly. She had felt it once before and had believed she felt it through her nightmares and in her head.

"How does it feel, Helga?" a male voice asked seething. Helga wanted to gasp… to call for help or to push him away, but every ounce of strength had left her body and was replaced with terror as a rough hand placed itself on her stomach. "How does it feel to have a part of me inside you? My DNA roaming inside your stomach, and growing and growing… How does it feel that there's now a physical proof that you're just a whiny, little bitch who couldn't even protect herself from _one_ man?"

"No, please!" Helga shrieked loudly and started to thrash around violently. "Helga!" some voices called and she was sure she could feel a pair of hands on her arms, which only just made her thrash more. "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!" she begged as she could feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "Helga! It's me Phoebe! Please, wake up!" a female voice called sobbingly. _Wake up?_ Helga repeated in her mind as she kept battering around. _Wake up… Wake up!_ She started to beg herself, when her eyes finally popped wide open.

"Oh, thank goodness! Helga, you've been gone for - - " Phoebe said in a relieved voice, until Helga felt a chunky, liquid substance appear in her stomach and pushing itself through her throat until she was forced to lean to the side and let it out through her mouth. "Helga!" a male voice called worriedly before she felt a pair of hands pull her hair into a ponytail. She lifted her hand with a gasp and placed it on the hand that was holding her hand. She dug her nails into the flesh of his hand, but it was more in a form of desperation for him not to let go, rather than to make him leave her like this.

When Helga felt the substance ending its way through her throat, she saw a familiar face in front of her. Arnold, who had been holding her hair a minute ago, but had asked Gerald to take over, was crouched in front of her face. He held a wet cloth to her mouth and did his best to wash it. As he did so, he noticed her dazed eyes; she looked almost as if she thought she was still dreaming. He cautiously placed his other hand on her cheek, trying to steady her head so he could wash her face properly.

To Arnold's surprise, Helga didn't fight against him as he held her cheek. In a way, he was beyond happy about that fact, but there was also a small part of him telling him that the only reason for that, was because Helga was still in some sort of trance. When she was clean, he nodded up at Gerald and Phoebe, who pulled her up tentatively and placed her on the bed again. "Helga?" Phoebe asked softly, hoping for her to respond this time around.

Helga had her eyes closed, but forced them open at the familiar voice of her best friend. She hitched as she tried to breathe and coughed a bit, but then she felt something wet and cold on her lips. She looked towards Arnold, who was holding a bottle of water against her mouth and while she kept eye contact with him, she did her best to drink from it. When she couldn't force anymore down, she pushed at the bottle with her chin as a signal for him to remove it.

"What happened?" Helga asked feebly after Arnold had removed the bottle and screwed the lid on again. Phoebe bit at her lower lip as she turned to look questioningly at Arnold and Gerald. They seemed just as uncertain. "How much… do you remember?" Gerald decided to ask. Helga frowned a little at the obvious dismissal of her question, but decided to humor them. "Well… I remember… going to the drugstore… Arnold buying the pregnancy test… Me taking it… and then…" she muttered and then opened her eyes once again. With a somehow shaky movement of her head, she turned it to look at her stomach.

Helga lifted her hand slowly, her breath ragged as she placed it on her duvet and pullet it down a bit, revealing her stomach. After a few seconds, she placed it on her stomach, seeming as if she was almost hypnotized as she did so. She let it stay there for a while until she felt as if she could hear Tevin's evil laughter and then she started digging her nails into her gut. The others kept watching her, waiting for her reaction to become more violent before interfering. They knew it was inevitable; they just didn't know what she'd do.

Helga slowly sat up in her bed and swung her legs out of it to place her naked feet on the floor beneath her. She was dressed in a long, white t-shirt, which she expected Phoebe had put her in at some point. With some rocky steps, she went towards her nightstand and crouched in front of it to grab the Sunset bottle once again. "Helga, please don't." Phoebe begged before sitting down on the bed with a sigh. Gerald sighed as well, leaving Arnold to be the only to keep watching her. He wasn't convinced that she was just going for a drink and when she grabbed the bottleneck and lifted it to swing it down at the nightstand, making the bigger part of it shatter into a million pieces and the content stream down her legs, he knew what she was about to do.

"No!" Arnold yelled loudly and stepped forward. He managed to grab the wrist Helga was holding the bottle with, before she could swing it down at her stomach. "Let me go!" she shrieked loudly and fought against him with all her might. "Helga!" Gerald and Phoebe called and went towards them to help, but were forced to step backwards when Helga swung Arnold around so that his back were at them rather than hers, making it impossible for them to help him stop her.

"I'm gonna kill it! I want to kill it! Let me kill it!" Helga kept begging as she fought against Arnold, pushing at him and pulling away from him, but he was working on adrenaline as well, and he refused to let her win. "Yes! But not this way! Don't hurt yourself in the process!" he answered her, trying to calm her down and reason with her. She kept crying as she fought against him though. "I can't hurt myself any more than he has! The only living thing inside of me is… is… this _monster_!" she answered before falling to her knees.

Arnold kept holding Helga's arms up as she leaned her head forward and started to sob onto the carpet. He took a deep breath, took the bottle away from her, placed it on the nightstand again and then sat down on his knees in front of her. He didn't know what to say as he simply kept watching and listening to Helga as she sobbed. With a sigh, he lifted his hand to let his fingertips touch her shoulders. When he did that and he could feel her move, he had expected her to freak out again and push him away… instead she leapt into his arms, almost pushing him onto the floor due to the force.

Arnold's eyes were almost wider than his head as Helga almost choked him to death in her iron grip. She was shaking as she cried loudly into his chest. Shutting his eyes tight, he didn't question why she wasn't scared of his touch any longer and simply pulled her closer to him. When he did that, she moved even closer to him, letting him embrace her fully. "Help me…" she begged in a small voice. Arnold's eyes widened once again, Gerald and Phoebe's doing so as well. "Help me… before I kill myself… _Please_…!"

Arnold gasped for a second, feeling a solid stream of tears down his cheeks once again that evening and placed his hand on the back of Helga's head. "Don't worry… We're not gonna let you die… I promise. We're not letting anything hurt you ever again…" he swore as he rocked her gently, hoping, _praying_, that he could keep this promise if nothing else. Even if he would have to die doing it.

* * *

No one was really sure for how long Helga was holding onto Arnold, as if he was the only thing holding her back from dying from the pain. They only knew that when she woke up, her eyes were glazed over once again and she seemed calm. "Hello?" she said gently, not knowing what else to say to gain attention to herself. She could feel Arnold shake his head as he woke up. "Helga? Are you ok?" he asked while Phoebe and Gerald woke up as well. "Relatively ok…" Helga answered and turned her face to look at him. "I can't get up though."

Arnold couldn't help but give a small, crooked smile. It was an obvious invitation for him to help Helga up, so that meant she was still in a state where she didn't mind being touched. He did his best to be wary about where he touched her though as he lifted himself and her up from the carpet. She held onto him tightly as he did so, almost digging her nails into his shoulder as she did so. He didn't mind that; not at all. Rather feeling her nails in his flesh than not feeling anything from her at all.

Arnold walked Helga to her bed and she sat down carefully. She reached for her duvet, but before she could pull it over herself, Arnold grabbed it and did it for her. She gave him a small, appreciative smile and made sure it covered her legs properly. "How are you feeling, Helga?" Phoebe asked as she sat down on the bed next to her, making the bed shift a bit. She shrugged. "Empty, I think… I've calmed down though." she answered and then looked towards Gerald. "Mind giving me the shopping bag?"

Gerald was confused at Helga's wish, but decided not to question it and simply grabbed it. "Here." He said meekly as he walked towards her and placed it on her lap. "Thanks." She said and stuck her hand into it. The others watched as she pulled out the brochures. She discarded two of them instantly and started to read the third. Arnold tilted his head so he could read the title of the ones Helga had discarded. _She's reading the one about abortion…_ He realized with a small frown. It wasn't that he thought Helga should keep the baby per say… He wanted her to do what he believed was best for her, but he couldn't help but wonder if having an abortion would do anything positive for her in the long run.

Helga didn't say a word as she read the brochure and no one dared to interfere with her. Out of nowhere, it seemed to for the others, she placed the brochure on her lap and looked at Phoebe. "Can you give me my phone?" she asked. Phoebe looked at the nightstand next to her, grabbed the white iPhone and gave it to Helga. She looked at the brochure after taking her phone and then dialed a number, putting the phone to her ear.

The others listened as Helga started to speak. "Yes, hello. My name is Helga Pataki. I wish to have an abortion." She said matter-of-factly, almost cold. The others looked a little shocked at each other, but still didn't dare to interrupt. "As soon as possible." Helga answered in the phone. Then her eyes went wide. "Friday?! Are you kidding me? I have to wait for that long?" she asked in shock, but then sighed as whoever she was talking to seemed to try to explain why she had to wait. She took a deep breath and then nodded. "All right… Sign me up for Friday then."

The others listened as Helga kept making the appointment for the abortion. When she was done, she said goodbye politely and hung up. Her eyes seemed empty for a few seconds until Phoebe's voice pulled her out of her stupor. "Are you sure about this, Helga?" she asked gently, causing the blonde girl to look at her. "It's a pretty big decision. Maybe you should think about this for a few days?" she suggested.

Helga frowned deeply at Phoebe, her eyebrows furrowing scornfully. "What is there to think about, Phoebe? I don't want to give birth to my rapist's child. Are you kidding me?" she asked in total disbelief and anger, but Phoebe's apologetic nod made her sigh. "Besides, that's why they asked me to wait till Friday. It's a precaution. It's to give me time to think. Not that I need it." she added and laid her head on the big pillow behind her.

"You want one of us to come with you?" Gerald asked, knowing that if the answer was yes, it'd probably be Phoebe she'd want. Helga seemed to think it over for a second and then sighed again. "I don't know… I might change my mind Friday, so it's hard to say right now." She answered with a shrug. "Change your mind?" Arnold repeated with something akin to a little bit of hope in his voice, which she noticed and frowned at. "Yeah… about bringing one of you with me. _Not_ about the abortion itself."

Arnold frowned back at Helga, knowing full well that she had heard the bit of hope in his voice. He wasn't sure why he seemed to want her to keep the child, and it wasn't like he wasn't trying to figure it out. He kept thinking about it, even as he walked home that night, leaving Phoebe to stay over at Helga's to take care of her. _Why do I seem to want Helga to keep that child? She's right; she shouldn't have to give birth to a child, which was only created due to rape! So… why does this somehow feel like the wrong decision?_

* * *

The next day, Arnold had expected Helga to be like her usual self. Well, the usual self she had been through the last two months. She did seem like herself, only… she kept having one of her hands placed on her stomach. He had tilted his head to the side in confusion when he had noticed it that morning. When he had pointed it out to her, she looked at him as if he was insane until she looked down and noticed she was indeed holding her stomach and then removed her hand.

Arnold had then expected it to be that, but only few minutes later during class, he noticed how she was taking notes with one hand while holding her stomach with the other. He didn't point it out this time, but Gerald did. Once again she frowned at him, not understanding what he was talking about, but after realizing he was right, she forced her hand away from her stomach, only for it to return few minutes later.

Helga most definitely wasn't aware of this strange new habit she had developed, but everyone else noticed it instantly. No one understood why she was doing it and when they asked, she simply frowned, removed her hand and told him or her that she didn't know, then placing her hand on her belly again later. Around lunch, after eating, Helga herself was the one to realize that she was holding her stomach, when she had gone out to the bathroom and noticed her reflection in the mirror.

_What is wrong with me?_ Helga wondered with a frown and forced her hand away from her stomach once again. She washed her hand with a sigh and closed her eyes. While still keeping her eyes shut tight, she dried her hands in the paper. When she was done, she gave herself a mental pat on the back and was about to walk out of the room. When she heard the door open, she opened her eyes, and noticed that it almost hit her and stepped backwards, placing her hand on her stomach again.

Helga looked down and frowned at her hand. "What are you two? Complimentary magnets?" she asked aloud and rolled her eyes. "Are you all right, Helga?" a gentle, sugary voice asked. When Helga looked up, she noticed Lila standing in front of her, wearing an honestly worried look. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." She answered. "You sure you don't have an ever so bad stomach ache or something?" Lila inquired and stepped closer to her.

"Huh? Why?" Helga asked. "Well…" Lila muttered and let her eyes fall to Helga's stomach. Helga did the same, noticing how her hand was placed against her stomach again and then whipped her whole arm around to place it behind her back. "It's just that you've been holding your stomach all day, so I thought… Wait." Lila said, her eyes dilating as the wheels turned in her head. "Oh, my goodness! Helga! You couldn't possibly be - - "

"No!" Helga interrupted, causing the redheaded girl to shut her lips tight. "_Don't_… say it. It's not true!" she insisted. Lila didn't seem fully convinced though, so Helga sighed as she continued. "Even if it _was_, which it _isn't_… then it won't be after Friday." She added. Lila's eyes went a little wider as her mouth formed an O. "I see… Huh." She muttered thoughtfully. "Huh?" Helga repeated in slight annoyance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, it's just that… Your mouth says one thing, but then your… hand goes and does another." Lila pointed out with a small smile. Helga frowned and looked down at her stomach, noticing how it was now her left hand that was placed on it, rather than the right, which was still placed behind her back. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed in annoyance, but made no move to remove her hand from her stomach, since her hand insisted on being there anyway.

"It just seems like… like you're not ever too certain about this?" Lila suggested with an innocent shrug. "Of course, I'm certain, _Lila_, how could I not be? What crazy girl would consider such a thing?" Helga asked in annoyance. "Well, I've always considered you a _crazy girl_, Helga." Lila answered with a smile, earning a confused glare from the girl in front of her. "In the most positive way possible, of course." She then added.

"What are you saying? You think I should keep it?" Helga asked with disbelieving eyes. Lila cocked an eyebrow at her. "I thought I was wrong about you being pregnant?" she asked, which Helga rolled her eyes at. "Don't play dumb with me. We both know that I am, so answer my question." She ordered. "Well, I'm not one to tell others what to do. This is your body, your life, your choice." Lila answered politely. Helga quirked an inquiring eyebrow at the redhead. "_And_…" she said with a small smile. "You already seem to feel the maternal instinct."

Helga frowned deeply at that. "What?" she asked in shock, which Lila smiled at overbearingly. "You keep holding your stomach, doing your best to protect it from any sort of danger that would harm the baby. Only someone who loves their child ever so much would do that." she pointed out innocently, meaning every word she said. "You can't be serious… How could I _possibly_ love this… this monster growing inside of me?" Helga asked, feeling her eyebrows twitch in frustration.

"You speak ill of it, and you hate it consciously… but your hand keeps holding your stomach in an ever so protective manner." Lila pointed out, making Helga look at her stomach again; she noticed that somehow her hand behind her back had snuck its way to her stomach and was now helping her other hand hold it. "See? Maternal instinct. You may despise the father, but… you still love it like a mother would… subconsciously." Lila said gently.

Helga's eyes widened, but then she shook her head. "No, you're wrong. I can't love this thing, so I'm going to do what's best for me and get rid of it… like the trash it is." She said with evil intentions and brushed past Lila. _Lila's wrong. She couldn't be more wrong._ Helga kept telling herself that, even as she noticed how her hands were still cradling her stomach. _She has to be wrong…!_

* * *

As Friday enrolled and the lunch period started, Helga realized that thanks to Lila's words, she could feel her determination falter. She had been about to eat lunch alone today, as she had done Thursday, but then caught herself walking towards Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald. They didn't notice her until she placed her food tray on the table with a loud thud and sat down. "I want you to come with me, Arnold." She said with determination in her voice and in her expression.

Arnold blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what Helga was talking about. When he did, he gave a small 'oh'. "Well… sure, Helga, but… why me?" he asked. "I need someone who can remind me why this is what's best for me. Phoebe's a girl; she might get caught up in the whole baby thing, and Gerald… well, come on." Helga answered, causing Gerald to roll his eyes at her.

"Wait." Phoebe said, earning the attention of the people around the room. "Remind you? Why would you need to be reminded? Are you having second thoughts?" Phoebe asked with big eyes. Helga shook her head violently. "No! It's just that… Lila's more cunning than you'd think!" she answered with a frown. "Lila?" the group repeated in surprise. "Yeah, _Lila_!" Helga answered, cringing at her name. "She gave me some stupid speech yesterday about how my maternal instinct is acting up or something. Just because I hold my stomach from time to time."

"From time to time? Helga, you're holding your stomach _right now_." Gerald pointed out, causing Helga to look down to confirm it. "Oh, for crying out loud!" she said in annoyance and placed her hands stubbornly on the table. Gerald, Arnold and Phoebe looked worriedly at each other. "Are you _sure_ you're not getting cold feet?" Gerald asked carefully, knowing that he was stepping on a landmine by asking. Her head shot right up at that question. "I am not! Why would I?! Anyway. Arnold, you're meeting me after school and we'll go there together. End of conversation." She answered and started to eat.

"W-Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold answered as he looked nervously at the others, who simply shrugged. Arnold turned his eyes back to Helga and watched her eat for a moment. He noticed how her face was already softened as soon as her hand was placed on her stomach again. He cocked his head a little to the side. _I think I know why she should have the baby now…_

* * *

Helga and Arnold didn't speak a single word as they made their way to the doctor, nor did they speak when they was in the waiting room. At least not at first, until Arnold noticed how gently Helga was caressing her stomach while her eyes seemed more distant than before. Wondering if he could somehow get her to talk first, he leaned forward and grabbed a baby magazine. He could feel Helga's eyes watching the pages every time he turned it.

All of a sudden, what felt as out of nowhere, Arnold was about to turn yet another page, when he felt Helga's hand placing itself upon his own, stopping him from turning the page. He could feel his breath being caught in his throat at the small touch and he figured it was because he still wasn't used for the 'no touching' thing being over. He turned his head to look at Helga, noticing how she was studying the page with so much interest that he had to smile.

"You curious, Helga?" Arnold inquired gently, hoping to ease into the subject. Helga looked up from the page and into Arnold's eyes. He suddenly realized how close they were, but that didn't last long since she decided to pull back completely and cross her arms almost childishly for having her curiosity busted. "No." she answered. "Oh, yeah? Then why did you stop me from turning the page?" Arnold asked skeptically. "Because the constant sound of the paper was bothering me." She answered as she refused to look at him.

Arnold sighed and threw the magazine on the table. "Helga, tell me what Lila said to you. It's obviously affecting you." he begged. Helga didn't say anything at first, but after shifting a bit in her seat she turned to face him with a sigh. "She told me that… me constantly putting my hands on my stomach was a typical sign of a protective mom. Something only women who truly loved their children did." She answered.

"And why does her saying that trouble you?" Arnold asked. "Because it's laughable! How can I possibly love the child of the man who raped me?" Helga asked as she smiled in utter disbelief. Arnold started to chew at his bottom lip thoughtfully as he wondered if he was making everything worse by saying what he was planning on saying. "Maybe because… that child is yours too?"

Helga's smiled disappeared instantly. Her eyes went wide and she could feel her whole body burning. "… What?" she asked almost inaudibly. Arnold turned in his seat to face her properly. "You keep calling it Tevin's child, but, Helga… you're the one carrying it. This child carries _your_ DNA, _your_ blood… It's your child too, if not a million times more. It's a part of you… and I don't think that you want to let it go… not really."

Helga couldn't think of anything to say. She wasn't thinking at all. She kept staring at Arnold as his words kept repeating themselves in her head. Her face slowly turned soft and she seemed as if about to talk, when a woman called her name. She gasped a bit in surprise as if pulled out of her own little world and stood up instantly. "Helga." Arnold said, standing up and grabbing her arm. She turned to look at him, despite her arm twitching for a second at the touch. "No matter what you choose, I, Gerald and Phoebe will _always_ be there for you. We'll support you no matter what… so do what you think is best for you."

Helga kept staring at Arnold, still not saying a word, as the woman called her again. She slowly stepped away from him, letting his hand fall from her arm and then turned around to walk towards the woman. She gestured for Helga to follow her and before she did so, she gave Arnold one last nervous glance. Arnold waved meekly at her before she walked inside the room, following the woman.

* * *

Arnold had absolute no sense of time whatsoever, as he sat in the waiting room, rocking back and forth nervously. It could have been hours or seconds since Helga walked into that small room. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for, only that Helga would be happy with her choice. No matter what, he realized, it was a rotten situation. It didn't seem to matter what she did, it'd still affect her life deeply, as if being raped wasn't enough!

All of a sudden a loud bang was heard which echoed through the hallway and into the waiting room. Arnold turned his faze towards the door Helga had walked through, who knew how long ago and stood up, knowing very well that she'd be the one to walk through that door in a second. When she did, her facial expression was indescribable, not showing what she had chosen whatsoever. "Helga, what happened in - - " Arnold asked before she grabbed his wrist and pulled him with her.

Without a word, Arnold let Helga pull him out of the clinic until they finally was outside in the cold autumn wind and she let him go. He pulled his wrist into his palm and started to massage it. _Damn, she's strong._ He reminded himself and then caught sight of her soft hair waving in the wind. With a small gulp, he let his arms fall down to his sides. "So… what happened in there?"

"… Lila's right." Helga whispered almost inaudibly before turning around, revealing tears in her eyes and a smile. Arnold didn't know what to make of such a sad and yet happy face like that. "I _am_ crazy." She admitted as she lifted her hand to her stomach and caressed it gently. His eyes widened and he noticed that so did his lips. "So you… didn't go through with it?" he asked gently as his lips curled into a smile.

Helga looked up at him and then shook her head slowly. "I couldn't… I kept imagining a small child with blonde hair and blue eyes, begging me not to kill it… This is _my_ child, not Tevin's… I'm the one carrying it and I'll be the one to take care of it… I couldn't kill an innocent child because its father is a monster…" she answered with a bit of a seething chuckle following. "I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I did."

Arnold frowned at that. "What do you mean?" he asked. Helga stepped closer to him, shoving one hand in her pocket and keeping the other one on her stomach. "When Miriam became pregnant with me, Bob asked her to get an abortion… Olga was a planned child and I wasn't… but my mom refused." She explained with a sad smile. Arnold's eyes widened at that revelation. "Oh, God, Helga, how… how did you find out?" he asked.

"Miriam once told me when she was drunk. I was about 13 years old, I think." Helga answered with a small sigh. "She also told me that she was happy that she insisted on giving birth to me. It was one of the few times… she ever truly made me believe that she wanted me." She added. Arnold smiled at her. "And she still wants you, Helga, I remember how worried she was about you when she was looking for you at the hospital."

Helga started chewing at her lower lip. "Bob is another matter though…" she muttered and started to gaze at the street. "We'll deal with him together." Arnold promised and placed his arm over her shoulders. She turned to look at him in slight confusion. "How?" she asked. "He's gonna kill me when he finds out."

"I won't let him. I'll be there when you tell him." Arnold answered. Helga kept gazing into the green orbs that was Arnold's eyes. They were honest… truthful… optimistic. And for the first time in a long, long time… Helga dared to allow herself to smile. She gave an appreciative nod as she let herself believe that this whole mess would somehow turn out ok. She didn't care how naïve she was being; she wanted to believe in the kindness Arnold was offering her, if only for this moment.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: So, was that a surprise or not? Helga deciding to keep the child that is? :P**


	10. I can't hide it forever

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** Helga practically became suicidal as she realized she was carrying the child of her rapist. At first, she had no doubt in her mind that she wanted to be rid of it. After making time for an abortion, she slowly realized how her resolution was faltering. Besides that, she also kept holding a hand on her stomach, which Lila pointed out was a sign that she already loved the child, even if she hated it as well.**_

_**When Helga went to get the abortion, with Arnold in the waiting room, he reminded her that this was her child and not Tevin's. In the end, she chose to keep it, even if she knew that her life would only become more difficult from now on.**_

**Author's 1st note: I will start out by saying that I don't know SHIT about pregnancy… I'm trying to google things and ask my mother and all that jazz, but I'm bound to make some sort of mistake at some point and probably more. I hope it won't matter too much to you guys, since this isn't supposed to be a manual for how to deal with pregnancy :P**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 10: "I can't hide it forever"

"So, what's the plan?" Arnold asked as he walked next to Helga out in the streets. She had her hands firmly stuck into the pockets of her cream color coat. As she sighed, the warmth in her breath created a little bit of white smoke in the air when it met the cold. "Keeping this to myself for as long as I can, I presume. It's not like I have anywhere else I can go, so I'll stay home for as long as possible… I'll… get myself a job, earn as much money as I can… and start looking for a place to live." She answered.

Helga's answer made Arnold smile. Her decision to keep the child may have seemed like an immature choice to others, but she was taking this very seriously. He was even thinking that focusing on this child, might be the right kind of medicine for her. Giving her something else to concentrate on could help her forget about Tevin. This was the longest she had gone without any uncomfortable silence ever since sixth of September and that could only be a good sign.

"You sound like you've got everything under control." Arnold stated with a small smile. Helga snorted at that. "It sure doesn't feel like it." she muttered, but she smiled as well as she placed one hand on her stomach, completely consciously this time. "But I'm gonna do my best." She added with an insecure smile followed by a sigh.

"We'll help you, Helga." Arnold reminded her. She gave him a small smile as she shoved her hand into her pocket again to protect it from the cold. "Thank you, but… I can't depend on the help of others." She answered. "Yes, you can. With something like this, you can depend on the help from your friends. You're gonna get the help whether you like it or not." He said stubbornly, leaving no room for arguing. She turned to frown at him, but didn't say anything.

The small feeling of vibration in her hand, made Helga stop walking altogether. Arnold took a couple of steps ahead, before he turned around to see her pull out her phone. "It's Phoebs… she's asking how it went." She muttered and took a couple of steps so she could stand next to Arnold. "Well then, tell her the good news!" he inquired excitedly. "Over a text?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. "Uh… Yeah, maybe you should tell her that in person." He answered.

Helga smiled a bit as she texted Phoebe back, asking her where she was right now. "I guess I'm… telling her she's gonna be a godmother." She muttered with a sarcastic snicker and held her phone to her stomach after finishing her text. She gave a small nervous sigh and after a few seconds, her phone vibrated once again. "They're at Slausen's." she said and turned to look at Arnold, who smiled at her. "Then let's go."

* * *

"I hope Helga's not too sad…" Phoebe muttered for about the hundredth time and sighed once again. "If she chose to get rid of it, that is." Gerald pointed out, causing her to look at him in slight skepticism. "I'll be surprised if she didn't… She seemed really freaked out when she found out she was pregnant." She pointed out. "Yes, but she's also been holding her stomach as if she was holding some treasure. I don't think she did it." Gerald said. "No matter if she did it or not, I'm going to support her." Phoebe muttered, which Gerald nodded at. "Me too."

At that moment, Arnold and Helga walked into Slausen's and started to look around. "Over here, Helga!" Phoebe called and waved. Helga and Arnold looked towards her, then at each other before they walked towards them. Phoebe stood up from her seat instantly and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Helga exhaled deeply. "A little scared… but fine." She answered.

Phoebe frowned in slight confusion, grabbed Helga's upper arms gently and moved back to look at her questioningly. Arnold gave Gerald a smile as he sat down, nodding at his unspoken question. "I couldn't do it, Phoebs." Helga whispered with an unsure smile. Phoebe's eyes went wide. "So… you're still…?" she asked, to which Helga nodded. "So you're gonna have…?" Phoebe asked, to which Helga nodded at as well.

"Oh, Helga!" Phoebe said happily and wrapped her arms around Helga again. "This may not be the way I imagined it, but I've been looking forward to this moment!" she said as she rocked her blonde from side to side. "Careful!" Helga reminded her and stopped Phoebe from rocking her. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Phoebe said happily and placed her hand on Helga's stomach for a second, touching Helga's hand as she did so.

"Oh, what do you wanna drink? I'll order for you." Phoebe said, but ran off towards the cash register before Helga could answer. "I can order my own… and she's gone." Helga said and turned to smile at the boys, who were smiling as well. "I guess I should have kept it a secret from her as well." she observed as she sat down next to Arnold, pulling off her coat as she did so. "As well?" Gerald repeated confused. "Who else are you…? Oh, your parents… and everyone else at school, I presume?"

Helga nodded. "Yes, this is going to be a secret for as long as possible. I'm already the center of attention; I don't need people to know this as well. That means _no_ talking about this at school whatsoever. Last time Rhonda overheard Arnold and me talking about going to report Tevin. I'm not risking her finding out about this too." she answered and looked towards Phoebe. It was her turn to order, and Helga couldn't help but listen carefully as she ordered. "One black coffee, please." Phoebe said, knowing it was Helga's favorite drink.

"Phoebe! Are you insane?!" Helga exclaimed in utter shock, causing the Asian girl to jump a little in shock. Helga managed to gain the attention from a lot of people in the room, but she ignored them. "I can't drink caffeine!" she pointed out, which made Phoebe tilt her head to the side in confusion. "Why not? You love coffee." She stated, knowing it was the truth. Helga rolled her eyes and pointed at her stomach.

It took Phoebe a couple of seconds before she realized what Helga was referring to. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed and turned around to the clerk. "Uh…" she muttered and seemed to be roaming in her mind to figure out a proper drink. "A glass of milk please." She ordered with an awkward smile, since the clerk was shaking her head in disbelief. Phoebe turned around to see Helga giving her a thumbs-up before she turned around to the boys again.

Arnold and Gerald were staring at Helga in disbelief, wearing big smiles on their faces. She frowned at them. "What?" she asked. "What's wrong with coffee all of a sudden?" Gerald asked. "Oh, I… At the clinic I read an article about… what not to drink during pregnancy." She answered a little shyly and turned to look at Arnold. "That was the page I made you stop at." she added. As she mentioned that, he remembered her hand on his and he physically had to slap gently at his hand to make the feeling of her fingers go away.

"You sure are taking this seriously, huh?" Gerald muttered with a teasing smirk. Helga frowned at him. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it properly. I don't do things halfheartedly." She said in a proud voice. "It's refreshing to see you care so much about another human being." Arnold added with a teasing smirk as well. She turned to look at him in annoyance. "You know what I mean." He said slightly apologetically, which just made her roll her eyes.

"Here you go, Helga." Phoebe said before placing the glass of milk in front of said girl. Helga frowned at the glass. "I really don't like milk…" she complained before placing it at her mouth and taking a big sip from it. She cringed her nose at the taste and stuck her tongue out as she placed the glass on the table again. Arnold couldn't help but chuckle at the childish act. Helga made a pair of big cheeks in annoyance, making her look like an angry hamster, which just made Arnold laugh even louder.

When Helga turned to look at Phoebe and Gerald, even they were laughing a bit, though Phoebe was trying to hide it. Helga cocked an eyebrow at her best friend, encouraging her to laugh anyway, which she did, unable to hold it in any longer. "Easy for you three to laugh. It's not like you have to drink milk!" she said in slight annoyance, though she knew if it had been Phoebe, she would've laughed as well.

"It's just milk, but you're drinking it as if it's some sort of strong alcohol." Arnold pointed out with a laugh. "Well, I don't like it! I never have and I…" Helga answered, but then her face clouded over. The others stopped laughing instantly, noticing how horror seemed to become her face. "Helga, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked worriedly as Helga lifted her hands and covered her mouth and nose with it. "I've been drinking…" she said in a muffled voice.

"What?" Gerald muttered in confusion. "I've been drinking." Helga repeated and closed her eyes. Phoebe gasped. "Oh, shit…" Gerald muttered and placed a hand on his head. Arnold on the other hand felt like everything had gone black around him. "You… You'll need some sort of scan, right?" he asked. Helga opened her eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I just don't… don't know what kind or how or…" she answered, but then forced herself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

"I can call Reba and ask?" Arnold suggested. "What?" they all said in unison. "Well… I didn't mention this, but… when Reba and I talked about me getting… someone pregnant, she kinda, sorta… guessed who it was." He explained and turned to look at Helga in particular. "She thinks Helga and I are dating in secret."

Helga's jaw practically fell to the floor at that, but she didn't say anything. "What?!" Gerald exclaimed in shock. "Why does she think that?" he asked. "Uh…" Arnold muttered and then decided to shrug. "Beats me. Anyways, it means she knows Helga's pregnant… or at least that she might have been." He answered. Helga closed her mouth, leaned back in her seat and let her head bang into the wall. "What did she say?" she asked.

"Uh… not that much. Just… for us to be careful in the future and that she'd keep it a secret." Arnold responded. Helga nodded in understanding and lifted her head to look at no one in particular. "That means we have a grown-up on our side… A smart one at that, so maybe she can help." She muttered. "Should I call her and ask about this?" Arnold asked, but Helga shook her head at that. "She already knows I'm the one who's pregnant. I might as well be the one to ask… Can I come to your house today, Phoebs?"

"Yes, of course. As soon as we're done here, we'll go." Phoebe replied reassuringly and took a big gulp from her cup. "Relax. You don't have to drink it all in one go. I don't think a few minutes more or less will make that big a difference." Helga said, but it was obvious how worried she was. "Is there anything I can do about this?" she asked, looking at the boys. "Hey, don't look at me." Gerald said as he put up his hands in mock surrender. Helga turned to look at Arnold, though she had a feeling he'd say the same.

"I'll look it up." Arnold answered and started tapping on his phone. "Thanks." Helga muttered as she moved closer to him to watch the screen. Gerald was the only one who noticed Arnold's eyes going wide for a second, but then he continued to try to find stuff about alcohol during pregnancy. _Huh…_ Gerald muttered with a small frown, but quickly forget about Arnold's odd reaction.

"How much have you been drinking, Helga?" Arnold asked. "Oh, uh… I haven't been drinking _a lot_… Problem is that what I've been drinking is that Sunset Rum, and it's strong as hell." She answered with an anxious grimace. "Well… it says here that it's possible your baby will be fine, provided you don't drink anymore through the rest of the pregnancy… but it also says to have a scan to make sure." Arnold explained as he read the words on the screen.

Helga nodded in understanding and leaned away from him again. When she heard him gulp, she looked at him with big eyes. "What?" she asked, but he didn't seem to have any intentions of answering her, so she grabbed his phone and started to read. "Helga, please don't. It's… It's a minor risk!" he said pleadingly and tried to grab his phone. When he did, Helga had already read the words 'miscarriage', 'premature birth' and 'stillborn' and was already standing up.

"On second thought, Phoebe, can we leave immediately?" Helga begged. Phoebe took one last big gulp of her mug and stood up. "See you later." She said, kissed Gerald's cheek and was then pulled away by Helga's hand. The boys looked at them until they were out of Slausen's and then sighed heavily. "It's one problem after the other… Will Helga ever be able to relax?" Gerald wondered aloud, while Arnold kept reading about alcohol during pregnancy. _Oh, God… please don't let this happen to her baby._

* * *

"Here we go, Helga. You now have a time for a transvaginal ultrasound scan." Reba said kindly as she pushed a few buttons on her keyboard and turned around in her chair to look at the girls in the sofa not too far away from her. "Thank you." Helga said appreciatively, but it was obvious how scared she still was. "Are you still nervous about the way this scan works?" Phoebe asked as she caressed Helga's shoulder. "I'm not… fond of it." Helga admitted with a frown as the word 'probe' entered her mind.

"It won't be painful, Helga, and it will be a female doctor." Phoebe reminded Helga, but she still seemed rather tense. Phoebe didn't blame her. Having something called a probe enter one's neither regions after being raped at the age of eighteen didn't seem attractive whatsoever. Heck, it didn't seem attractive to a woman at the age of thirty who wants to be pregnant! "Yeah, I know… I just need to get used to the thought, I guess." Helga answered.

"Well, Helga, I'm happy to hear that you're taking it so seriously. What is Arnold saying to all of this?" Reba asked kindly. Helga looked a little surprised at the question, but then remembered that Phoebe's mom thought Arnold was the father. "Oh, he's being very… Uh…" Helga answered, but then turned to look at Phoebe questioningly. Phoebe shrugged to her unspoken question, telling Helga it was up to her how she'd handle this.

Helga took a deep breath. "Uh, Mrs. Heyerdahl?" she said gently, earning the older woman's attention again. "Arnold's not the father…" she poke in a soft voice. Reba's eyes widened. "What?!" she exclaimed in total shock. "Oh, and we're not dating either!" Helga quickly added, putting her hand up in some sort of self-defense. "Oh.." Reba said, letting that information sink in as well. "For a moment, I thought you had cheated on Arnold… Wait; hold on, if Arnold's not the father, then who is?"

Helga opened her mouth to speak, but felt the words get caught in her throat. She nudged her elbow at Phoebe's upper arm, telling her to answer Reba in her place. Phoebe nodded in understanding and caressed Helga's shoulder for a bit before looking at her mother. "Mom… Helga was… Uh… Helga was… You know." She said gently, hoping that the way her facial expression turned aggrieved would make her mother realize what she was referring to.

Reba's eyes slowly went wide when she saw how Helga turned her whole face away, trying to hide the pained eyes behind her hair. "Oh, Helga, dear… Were you…?" Reba asked gently, but Helga shook her head to stop her from talking. "Don't say it." she begged. Within seconds, Reba was sitting on her knees in front of Helga, wrapping her arms around the blonde girl. "I am so sorry." She whispered sympathetically and held her tight.

"I-I don't want sympathy, please!" Helga begged as she gently pushed Reba away. Reba seemed a little surprised, but having known Helga since she was a small child, she remembered that she was a proud girl. She may have changed after the incident, but it was good to see that there was still smidgens of the real her inside. "I understand." Reba said and stood up to sit in her swivel chair. "Just remember that if you want some advice, you can always come to me."

"Th-Thank you, Mrs. Heyerdahl…" Helga whispered a little shyly as she placed her hand on her stomach once again. "I have to wonder, Helga, why… Why would you want to keep the child?" Reba asked gently, causing Helga's hand to curl into a fist. "Because it's _my_ child… and no one else's." she answered almost stubbornly, but Reba was very much satisfied with the answer. _Helga may be too young to be socially accepted as a mother… but when she loves something, she truly loves it… and she's a mature girl. I think she'll be a wonderful mother._

* * *

Having to wait for the ultrasound scan until next week had been an absolute nightmare for Helga. She still kept a hand on her stomach at all times, not caring if people thought she was constipated, which seemed to be the newest theory. Rather that, than people realizing she was expecting. She hadn't spoken with Lila, but it hadn't been necessary. As soon as they got eye contact Monday morning, Lila simply had to look into Helga's eyes and she gave her a knowing smile. It was creepy how observant that girl was, but Helga was happy that it seemed like Lila hadn't told anyone.

Helga had even tried to read the other brochures Reba had given Arnold back when he bought the pregnancy test for her. There were a lot of subjects about giving away for adoption and what to think through… she didn't consider that an option. If she was going to bear a child, there was no way in hell she'd give it to someone else; then she'd might as well have gotten the abortion. As she had told the others, then if she were going to do this, she'd do it properly.

Helga couldn't count all the articles she had read as she waited for it to be her turn. Phoebe was sitting next to her, reading the same articles with her. From time to time, Helga would ask her a question or about her opinion about a product and Phoebe was happy to give it to her. It was a rather funny feeling to look at baby stuff. It may have been very early in their lives, but it was a moment she had been looking forward to share with Helga.

As it became Helga's turn and she was finally inside, she could feel panic rushing through her. With Phoebe's help, she spoke with her sonographer and managed to explain why she was practically sweating at the mere thought of anyone near her. The sonographer, who introduced herself as Miss Julie Harper, was very kind and understanding and told Helga that they could talk for as long as she needed. When Julie had been told about the age of the girl who was coming for this particular scan and for what reason, she had expected her to be either very reluctant or very scared. Helga had noticed how Julie had almost cried as she listened to her story, but she was very professional through the whole thing and promised to explain things as the scan would go on. She also offered to be Helga's permanent doctor through this, which she happily accepted.

"You feeling ok, Helga?" Julie asked kindly. "I'm trying to relax. I really am…" she muttered in response, but feeling the probe touching her was uncomfortable. She was happy to find out it wasn't going as far as she first had feared, but it was still a weird feeling. "Maybe looking at the screen will help?" Julie suggested. "Helga, look." Phoebe said happily as she held Helga's hand and pointed towards the screen. Helga moved her head to the side and her eyes went wide. "Whoa! Is that… alien looking thing my…?"

"Yes. This is your child." Julie answered with a smile and dared to move the probe a little bit. Helga didn't seem to notice as she kept gawking at the screen. "Why is its head so big…?" she asked with a gulp. "Oh, don't worry. The brain is growing very rapidly, so the head appears much larger than the body. It's supposed to be like that." Julia answered, causing Helga to sigh in relief, though it was short-termed. "Uh, so… a-any other problems?" she asked as she started to glare at the screen again as if she had the ability to look for errors herself.

Julie didn't answer right away as she kept looking around. Helga didn't like the silence, but then Julie smiled and looked at her. "Your baby is just fine." She answered. Helga blinked a couple of times and then sighed in relief. She leaned back and looked at Phoebe with a big smile. "Thank God." She muttered. "Your baby is very strong." Julie observed as she kept looking at it. "Just like its mother." Phoebe added. Helga smiled at her, but then looked back at the child. Or child-to-be.

"It really does look like an alien though…" Helga muttered thoughtfully and smiled goofily all of a sudden. "It reminds me of Megamind." She added with a snicker. "Oh, Helga." Phoebe scolded, but couldn't help laughing herself. "That's what we're gonna call it in public from now on." Helga declared. "Really?" Phoebe asked, not sure if her friend was being serious. "I'm serious; no one is gonna think I'd refer to my baby when I talk about Megamind." Helga explained. Phoebe frowned at her odd argument, but shrugged and went with it. It wasn't like Megamind was a bad nickname or anything, even if it _was_ weird.

"Would you like a picture of the baby?" Julie asked. "Yes!" Helga answered instantly. "No, wait, Helga." Phoebe said and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her blonde friend from making a rash decision. "What's wrong?" Helga asked and looked at her black-haired friend in confusion. "What if someone finds the picture?" Phoebe suggested. "Oh, it's not like I'm going to carry it around in my wallet or anything." Helga said with a frown and turned to Julie. "A picture, please." She said. Julie smiled at her and turned towards the screen again.

"Helga, what if your father finds the picture?" Phoebe asked. Helga's eyes widened for a second, but then she just bit at her lower lip in frustration. "I'll hide it properly." She answered in a dismissive way. "But, Helga - - " Phoebe tried, but was cut off. "But _nothing_, Phoebs, I… I need this picture, ok?" Helga said pleadingly. At first, Phoebe planned to keep pressuring her into at least waiting with the Polaroid, but decided to let Helga have her way; it wasn't like she had ever been able to convince Helga into anything in the past anyway. Why would that change now?

As soon as Helga and Phoebe found themselves outside, Helga's phone rang. "Ten bucks that it's Arnold." Helga said with a smile and grabbed her phone. "Yeah, it's him." She said with an even bigger smile and put the phone to her ear. "The baby's fine." She said before he could say anything. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear that!" Arnold said at the other end in a relieved voice. "Yeah, and I got a picture of it as well." she added with a smile as she placed her free hand on her stomach once again.

"Really?" Arnold asked in a happy voice. Phoebe couldn't help but both cock her head to the side and cock an eyebrow at the conversation between Arnold and Helga. _Arnold seems really happy on Helga's behalf… and Helga seems to be really happy too._ She thought with a smile. "Yeah, I want to show it to you and Gerald, but we have to make sure that no one sees it." Helga responded. "Can we see it now?" Arnold asked.

Helga frowned. _How come there was like an echo effect at that?_ She thought and then turned her head to the side, noticing Arnold and Gerald walking towards her and Phoebe with Arnold holding his phone to his ear and wearing a big grin on his face. Helga gasped in shock, making Phoebe turn to look as well and she gasped as well. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Helga asked in the phone, since Arnold and Gerald still were a few meters away. "Sorry. I was just really worried." Arnold answered with a shrug. "I know." Helga said with a smile and hung up.

"Hey! Rude!" Arnold scolded playfully and shoved his phone into his pocket as well. "You could hear me without the phone anyway." Helga pointed out teasingly and put her phone into her pocket. "Enough chit-chat. Let's see the embryo!" Gerald said with a smirk. The group turned to look at him in surprise. "What? The baby's an embryo between week 8 and 10, right?" he asked. "Well, yeah… but how do you know that?" Helga asked, remembering how she only knew because Julie had told her a minute ago.

Gerald pointed at Phoebe, who seemed shy about being put on the spot like that. "Phoebs?" Helga asked curiously. "I… may have been studying a bit, since… since you told me you were planning on keeping the baby… and I think I may have talked a bit too much about it with Gerald." She answered in embarrassment. "_A bit_? Honey, I can't call you baby anymore without thinking of an actual baby." Gerald answered with a quirked eyebrow. "Never mind that. I wanna see it!"

"All right, all right. Sheesh!" Helga said and put her hand into her coat pocket. "I thought boys weren't supposed to be interested in children… at least not anyone else's." she muttered before grabbing the picture. She smiled at it for a few seconds, before she turned it around and held it in front of Arnold and Gerald's faces. "Whoa…" Arnold said in awe and was about to take the picture, but Helga withdrew her hand. "No touching. I'm not risking you crumbling it or something."

"Oh, come on, Pataki." Gerald said with a disappointed frown. "Nu-uh. Besides, your sense of touch has nothing to do with your sense of sight. You can look without touching." Helga pointed out and showed them the picture again. Gerald rolled his eyes, while Arnold simply accepted Helga's request and stepped a little closer to look at it. He couldn't help but smile. "I can't believe this alien looking thing is going to become a baby." He muttered.

"That's what I said!" Helga said in surprise and pulled the picture back. "Really?" Arnold asked with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's why I'm calling it Megamind." She added and put the picture carefully back in her pocket. "Megamind?" Gerald repeated with an eyebrow quirked. "Oh! That blue alien thing?" he asked. "Yeah, the baby's brain is growing real fast, so its head is way bigger than its body. Makes it look like Megamind, I think. Besides, I've been thinking we needed a codename for it in case we have to talk about it at school." Helga explained.

"Smart thinking… What is _not_ smart is keeping that picture." Gerald pointed out. "Why not?" Arnold asked. "Oh, come on. Her pregnancy is supposed to be a secret, right. What if someone sees it?" Gerald asked. "That's what I said." Phoebe said in slight surprise and turned to look at Helga accusingly. "Oh, you can't possibly mean that. Helga will just hide it somewhere. You can't tell her to throw a picture of her baby out." Arnold said with a frown. "Thank you, Arnold!" Helga said and turned to Phoebe and Gerald, wearing a frown. "Look, I know I'm taking a big risk, but… even if someone _does_ find it, then that'd only mean people would find out sooner than later, right? My stomach is going to grow and I can't hide it forever."

"But, Helga - - " Gerald and Phoebe said, but Arnold cut them off. "Let her have this picture. Helga's right. It's only a question of time before everyone will notice anyway. I don't see why her having a picture of her own baby is that big an issue. And don't tell me, Phoebe, that if it was you in her shoes that you'd throw the picture away." Arnold said and looked at her in skepticism. Phoebe frowned in annoyance since she had no doubt in her mind that he was right. "All right. Fine… but be careful, Helga? One thing is to tell your parents that you're pregnant at the age of eighteen… Something else is for them to find a picture of the actual baby." She pointed out.

"I know." Helga said seriously and caressed her stomach once again. Helga knew she was taking a huge risk by keeping such a picture, but she couldn't throw it away even if she wanted to. In a twisted way, she was hoping for Miriam or Bob to find it… that way she didn't have to tell them what was going on. It'd result in a big fight, but she was ready to fight tooth and claw for her child.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: No! I did not all of a sudden remember that I had made her drink alcohol and that it was harmful to the baby - - this was planned, I swear! xD (No, seriously, I'm not being ironic :P)**


	11. She's got other priorities now

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** Helga's friends were surprised to see how seriously she took being pregnant after choosing not to have the abortion after all. Helga suddenly remembered though that she had been drinking quite a bit since the violation and got Phoebe's mother to help her get an appointment for a scan. In the process, she admitted to her that the baby's father wasn't Arnold's but her rapist's.**_

_**After the scan, a very Helga came out with a picture of her baby-to-be, Megamind as she chose to give it as a codename, after being told that the baby was just fine. Arnold was the only one to truly support her in the matter of keeping the picture, but she convinced Phoebe and Gerald to let her in the end.**_

**Author's 1st note: Don't know what to say! ****La-dee-da - Enjoy reading! xD**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 11: "She's got other priorities now"

When Helga got the picture, she had figured it'd probably be the only thing her eyes would see for a big amount of time… she hadn't expected that amount of time to become the whole day though. _I gotta stop staring at this…_ She decided, opened the drawer in her nightstand, placed the picture gently in it and closed it. She then turned around in her bed so she was staring up at the ceiling. It took only a couple of seconds before she started looking longingly at the picture again. _No!_ She scolded herself and placed one arm firmly beneath her head as a cushion and then the other on her stomach. _Stay!_

A knock on her door practically made Helga jump a few feet into the air, or rather off her bed. "Uh, yeah?" she asked as she looked towards her stomach and forced her arm away. "It's me, honey, can I come in?" Miriam's voice asked outside. "Uh, sure." Helga answered and sat up in her bed with her legs crisscrossed. Her mother slowly walked inside, wearing a tired smile on her face. "Hi, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" she asked before closing the door behind her. "Uh… fine, I guess." Helga answered, unsure of why her mother was asking her that. She had basically not spoken a word to her since the incident, so her suddenly caring for her health or mental well-being was a surprise.

"Good." Miriam said in a slightly slurry voice as she walked towards her daughter's bed. "Can I sit down?" she asked. "Go ahead." Helga answered with a shrug as she gestured at the empty space in front of her. Miriam sat down gently and pulled her feet up to her, the same way Helga was doing. "Can I say something, Helga?" Miriam asked. "What's with all these questions all of a sudden? Just go ahead and say it; it's obviously important since you managed to move off the couch to do so." Helga answered with a frown. She couldn't help her defensive attitude. Miriam may have been supportive the night she was raped, but that had been it and she was left with Bob who wasn't exactly a considerate man.

Miriam nodded in understanding. She was used to Helga snapping at her and she often let her, because either she was too drunk to even notice the edgy tone or too tired to reprimand her for it. "You seem a lot… happier lately." She observed as she kept nodding a bit. Helga frowned at that. "I… do?" she asked, wondering if Miriam had somehow found out about the baby. She had no clue how though, since Miriam barely noticed anything beyond the tip of the bottles she was drinking.

Miriam nodded lazily. "You've always been a solitary girl, but ever since that night you barely came down for dinner… Then, all of a sudden, you walked around in the house smiling. I have to wonder; did something good happen?" she asked with a gentle smile. Helga frowned at the way her mother smiled. It was as if she already knew. "Uh… I guess I… I've just, you know… Why are you smiling like that?" Helga asked suspiciously.

Miriam kept smiling despite her daughter's frown upon it. "I'm just… seeing a little something of myself in you at the moment." She answered. Helga kept frowning and opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. _What does she mean by that? 'Seeing something of herself in me.' Like what?_ She wondered and gave a suspicious glare at Miriam. "What is this little something, Miriam?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity despite the answer frightening her. Miriam didn't answer, but simply placed her hand on Helga's. "We Johnson girls tend to forget everything else around us when we reach this stage in our life."

Helga's eyes went wide at that statement. At first she had wondered what she meant by 'Johnson' until she remembered that was Miriam's maiden name. "Granted, I didn't think you'd be this engaged to it as well and especially not considering your… unique situation, but… you're definitely a Johnson girl with this." Miriam added, patted Helga's hand a bit and then got off the bed. Helga kept staring at nothing in particular in her room while she heard her mom walk out of the room and close the door behind her.

Helga's eyes slowly looked around as if the room would somehow explain what had just happened. She then frowned and looked towards the door where Miriam had just walked out. Helga lifted her arm in a position of absolute confusion. _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

"So, how is your little blonde friend, Shortman?" Phil asked one morning. Arnold's eyes widened. "Right! I haven't told you this yet. She… Uh…" he said, but then stopped talking. _Is this something I can tell him? Would Helga hate me if I did? Oh, man, I don't know!_ He thought in a slight panic. "You all right, Shorty?" Phil asked teasingly, causing Arnold to roll his eyes. Ever since his grandpa came across a song with the word 'Shorty' in it, he had taken the liberty of sometimes replacing 'Shortman' with 'Shorty'.

"Yeah, I, uh… I'm not sure if I should tell you…" Arnold admitted. Phil looked surprised at that, but then continued eating. "Because Helga might not like it?" he asked. "Yeah… but she's doing better, I can say that much." Arnold answered with a crooked smile and started to eat again. Phil looked up from his plate and noticed the odd smile on Arnold's face. He gave a big grin as he looked towards his wife Gertie who seemed to notice the smile as well.

"Oh, by the way, Grandpa. Uh… do you happen to know if anyone's searching for a new employee or… something?" Arnold asked as casually as he could, but Phil noticed how obviously important his response was to his grandson. "Well… let me see… I think Mrs. Vitello is actually searching right now, since there's certain things she can't do anymore… Why, Shortman, looking for a job?" Phil asked, knowing that wasn't the case whatsoever. "Uh, no… it's for Helga. She… needs something to distract herself, I guess." He answered both truthfully and dishonestly at the same time, which was an odd feeling. _Vitello flowers, huh… I hope I can convince her to hire Helga. Maybe me working there back in fourth grade can be an advantage…_ He thought with a smile and finished his breakfast.

"Thank you for the breakfast, Grandma." Arnold said as he took the plate and planted a kiss on his grandma's forehead. "You're welcome, Kimba, be careful out there. It's a jungle!" Gertie answered while Arnold gave his grandpa a kiss as well before jogging into the kitchen. "You two be careful as well!" Arnold said while he placed his plate on the counter and then ran out into the hallway. He was trying to speed up the ritual of putting all his outwear on, but it didn't seem to work. Winter was going to be a hard one this year and even if it hadn't begun yet, then the cold was already biting. _I wonder if Helga remembers to put extra clothes on for the baby?_ Arnold caught himself wondering before walking out the door.

* * *

"Good morning, Helga!" a certain redhead called happily, causing a certain blonde-haired girl to gasp in surprise and then turn around towards the voice. "… 'Morning, Lila." Helga answered in a somewhat distracted voice. "Is something the matter?" Lila asked as she noticed the obvious absentminded look on her face. "Oh, uh, no, I just…" Helga muttered, but then just sighed a bit. Lila's eyes went straight to Helga's stomach. "Don't tell me something happened to - - "

"No, no, Megamind's fine." Helga answered with a smile since reminding herself that made a wave of relief flush through her body. "Megamind?" Lila asked as she tilted her head to the side. "Oh, that's what I'm calling it for now…" Helga answered a little embarrassedly. Why was it so easy to talk with Lila about this? Perhaps it was because she was such a girly-girl. "Since the head's so big right now it kinda looks like an alien. Besides, I figured I should use a, you know - - "

"A codename if you have to talk about it outside?" Lila suggested with a smile. Helga looked at her in shock. "How in the world… Oh, never mind. Yes. So if you decide to interrogate me or whatever then ask about Megamind." She ordered. The braided girl nodded in understanding. "So _is_ something the matter then? You seem ever so distracted." She pointed out worriedly. Helga opened her mouth to dismissive her, but then thought it through. She didn't have a lot of people she could talk with about this… and Lila was very reliable; why shouldn't she tell her?

"Well… I have a feeling that my mom knows about Megamind." Helga admitted. Lila didn't seem to understand at first, but then gasped. "Oh, dear, how did she find out?" she asked. "I don't know! It was really confusing. Something about… me smiling the same way the Johnson girls always do in 'this stage of life' as she called it… She didn't say directly to me that she knew, but it was kinda in the air." Helga answered.

"Oh… but that's ok, right? I mean out of your mom or your dad, it's better that _she_ knows, right?" Lila asked. "Uh… Uh, y-yeah. She also seemed fine with it. I mean, she didn't ask anything or tried to probe into…" Helga answered, but at the word _probe,_ she shut her eyes and mouth. _Nice choice of word, Helga…_ "Uh, she didn't question it." she said instead. Lila did notice Helga's reaction at her own words, but decided not to ask about it. "Well, that's good then, right? You can ask your mom for advice."

Helga frowned. "I'm not sure Miriam is the best one to ask about parenting…" She muttered. Lila frowned a bit at that statement, but knew why she was thinking like that. Lila had always been observant and while Helga managed to hide quite a lot of things from her peers, she had realized in a very early age that she couldn't hide much from Lila. She had also realized that was ok since Lila wasn't a tattle tale. She had never told on her, not even once, so even without realizing it she had started to trust this airheaded redhead. Even with her family life. She may not have told her quite as much as Phoebe, but Lila had a good reason for wanting to be a psychiatrist and Helga knew she would be a good one, even if she would never tell her such a thing.

"Good morning, girls." Phoebe said with a big smile on her lips. Helga shrieked and turned around to face her best friend with a small frown. "Sheesh, Phoebe! Don't sneak up on us." She scolded and held a hand to her heart. Phoebe blinked a couple of times. "I don't believe it… You're even _more_ jumpy now." She stated simply with a bit of surprise in her voice. Helga seemed surprised as well and turned to look at Lila. "I am?" she asked her. Lila seemed to eye Phoebe for a second, but then nodded. "Yes, and it's quite normal really." She answered.

Helga looked back at Phoebe and realized that their eye contact had been a way of making sure that the other one knew about Helga's condition. She sighed a bit and started to scratch her head. "You two are going to be really protective of me, aren't you?" she asked despite already knowing the answer. "Why, of course!" Lila responded with a cheery smile. "But we'll also make sure that no one will notice us being protective." Phoebe swiftly added, which Lila nodded at instantly.

Helga sighed once again, but gave an appreciative smile nonetheless. "Thanks… but remember, pregnancy is _not_ an illness." She whispered at them and turned around to walk towards the school building. "You're the one who refused to drink coffee though. Coffee is not even supposed to be all that dangerous as long as it's beneath 200mg in the first trimester." Phoebe said as she walked behind Helga with Lila. "Not taking any chances." She answered briefly. "Well, of course you shouldn't." Lila said pensively. "It's just ever so important to remember that - - "

"Good morning, Helga!" a joyful, male voice called behind them. The small group of girls turned around and noticed Arnold and Gerald walking towards them. Helga lifted her hand and waved a little lazily. "Guess what, Pataki, Arnold's found you a job!" Gerald said with a big smile. Helga's eyes went wide and she stepped to the side to approach Arnold. "Really?" she asked. "Well, I haven't spoken with Mrs. Vitello yet, but I know she's looking for some help right now." Arnold answered and couldn't help but smile a little proudly at how appreciatively she was looking at him.

"Mrs. Vitello? As in Vitello Flowers? She's hiring?" Phoebe asked in surprise. "No wonder; the woman's like 90 years old by now." Gerald answered, which only earned him an elbow to his ribs by Arnold. "She's still a vibrant woman." He insisted. "Yeah… for a 90 year old." Gerald argued and went straight behind Phoebe to hide from Arnold's itchy elbow.

"Working in a flowers shop…" Helga muttered thoughtfully, but then frowned. "I'm not sure how good I'd be at that…" she added. "Why?" Arnold asked. "I'm not exactly… friendly, you know?" she pointed out, which he rolled his eyes at. "Yes, you are, if you decide to be. Besides, I think she'll want help with the flowers themselves and not handling customers as such." He explained.

"Oh! Well, that I can do." Helga said in relief. "You can?" Lila asked before she could stop herself. Helga frowned a bit at her, but Lila started apologizing instantly. "Oh, it wasn't meant like that, Helga! I have just never… seen you do anything… creative, as such." She explained in embarrassment.

"I can't blame you for that, but as a child I did make these… uh, these…" Helga muttered and turned to look desperately at Phoebe. "Uh, these little statues!" she explained with a big smile. "She was really good at it too. She could make statues out of everything she could find! Cans, fruit, gum - - " she continued enthusiastically until Helga shushed her. "I think they get it, Phoebs!" she interrupted with an ashamed frown.

"You did?" Gerald, Arnold and Lila asked in surprise. "Uh… o-only for a little while…" Helga muttered, but Phoebe frowned at that. "Yes, if ten years is a little while." She insisted, causing her blonde friend to send her daggers through her eyes. "Ten years?!" Arnold and Gerald repeated. "How come we've never seen any, Helga?" Lila asked with a disappointed frown. "Because they were private, Lila. Besides, I stopped making them when I turned thirteen." Helga answered with a small scowl. "Why?" Arnold asked.

_Because you started dating Gloria._ Helga answered inside her head, but on the outside, she shook her head slowly. "I just did. I grew out of it, I think. I was way too obsessed with making those, so I decided to do the healthier thing and… stop being fanatical at least. I still think about those statues from time to time, and I still… love them. I'd probably still love making them, but… I've given up on them, I guess…" She explained as she turned her face away from the group.

Arnold tilted his head a little to the side. _Why do I have this feeling that these statues meant more to her than she leads on?_ He thought, but when he noticed that Gerald was about to question Helga further, he decided to stop him. "Well, if you still have that creativity then I'm sure Mrs. Vitello would love for you to make the bouquets and maybe even some of the topiaries." He said with a small shrug. Helga looked at him oddly though. "What the heck is a topiary?"

"Oh! It's a living sculpture… you know, like a bush shaped like a dolphin." Arnold answered while he gestured enthusiastically with his hands. "Oh, those…" Helga said thoughtfully. "How come you know though?" she asked. "Arnold and I worked at Vitello Flowers back in fourth grade." Gerald answered as he placed his arm over Arnold's shoulders. "I worked mostly at the cash register while he worked with the plants. He was a goddamn natural."

"I didn't know that!" Phoebe said with a bit of disappointment in her voice. "Oh, babe, it wasn't like we worked there all through fourth grade or anything. It was more like for a month." Gerald explained and placed his arm around Phoebe's waist instead. She shrugged in understanding. "So, basically, this means you can put in a good word for me, Arnold?" Helga asked with a cunning smile. "That's what I was thinking." Arnold responded with a smile. She was surprised at that since she had just been joking. "Really? Oh, uh, thanks."

"You're welcome, Helga, anything I can do to help." Arnold answered with a smile. Helga eyed him for a second before she smiled back. "I'll go talk to Mrs. Vitello today and I'll text you later about how it went, ok?" he suggested, which she nodded at in response. "Sure. That sounds… great. Thank you." She said yet again before the bell rang. "Well, that's our cue." She added, turned on her heel and started walking. With a smile, Arnold followed her with the others. _I hope I get to see a topiary made by Helga… _He thought. _I bet it'd be a cool one._

* * *

_I think making topiaries will be pretty soothing… It's not like I have to run around and it's not physical labor to work in a flower shop. I think Arnold may have found the perfect job for me._ Helga thought with a smile as she hid her iPhone beneath her desk during class. She was googling living sculptures, but now she went to search for something else. _I hope this will count as a recommended part-time job for pregnant women… _she thought as she went to a certain webpage she had put her trust in completely. It answered pretty much any _odd_ questions she had about pregnancy; she hoped working in a flower shop counted as a healthy job according to it.

"Helga Pataki." A female voice said, causing Helga almost to drop her phone in surprise. She looked up from it and directly at Mrs. Skelter who was frowning at her. "I decided to ignore the first ten minutes of you checking your phone, but it's been going on for a half hour now and I'd like to have it now." She said as she held out her hand. "Oh, uh, sure. Let me just - - " Helga answered, but as she was about to exit the site on her phone, Mrs. Skelter grabbed the phone from her. Helga gasped, ugly images of every single teacher on the school finding out about her pregnancy, flashing before her eyes as she tried to grab it.

"Oh, no, you're _done_ with this phone." Mrs. Skelter said and turned around to place the phone in her desk. "I'll just shut it off." She said and turned it around to look at the screen. As she saw the words 'What to know during pregnancy' on the screen, her eyes went wide and she made an inaudible gasp. Helga could feel her blood run cold as she waited for a scolding or Mrs. Skelter at least busting her secret. None of that came though as her teacher merely opened her drawer and placed the phone gently in it and closed it.

"You can have your phone after class and then I'll have a talk with you." Mrs. Skelter said with a pair of stern eyes. "Yes, ma'am." Helga said as she nodded. She then turned her eyes towards Arnold, who was sitting right next to her, and started to bite at her bottom lip. His eyes widened a bit as he realized what Helga might have been looking at on her phone and he could feel dread run through him. _Oh, no…_ He thought as he placed his face in his palm.

* * *

When the last class of the day was over, Helga feared her 'talk' with Mrs. Skelter. As Arnold passed her, he bend towards her. "Want me to wait outside?" he asked in a whisper. Helga seemed to consider it for a second, but then shook her head. "Go to Mrs. Vitello. When you're done talking to her then call me. I'll tell you what happened here then, ok?" she asked. Arnold nodded at her, quickly eyed Mrs. Skelter who was waiting patiently for him to walk out and as he did so, he closed the door after him.

"Helga." Mrs. Skelter said in a calm voice and gestured for Helga to come over to her desk. Helga took a deep breath, got up from her seat and planted her feet firmly in front of her teacher. "I have a few questions for you, and since I know you are a smart girl, and a sneaky one at that, then I want you to simply answer yes or no to my questions without trying to talk yourself out of answering, do you understand?" Mrs. Skelter asked. Helga nodded reluctantly.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Yes."

"And by the looks of the page you were reading during class, you seem to want to keep it, correct?"

"Yes."

Mrs. Skelter sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Why?" she asked in absolute disbelief. Helga frowned at that question. "Uh… no?" she suggested. Mrs. Skelter smiled at her, which made Helga feel a little less tense. "You can give a more detailed answer now." She said and arched her back again. "I want to keep it because… because it's _my_ child… I don't want to kill it just because its father is a… whatever." Helga explained, looking down at her feet as she did so.

Mrs. Skelter sighed heavily. "Do you realize what this will mean for your life? Your education? Your career?" she asked. "Yes, I'm also planning on moving out. I'm looking for a job so I can take care of myself and the child." Helga answered seriously and looked at Mrs. Skelter. She looked back at Helga, looking at her with doubt. "What kind of job?" she asked. "Arnold's going to put in a good word for me at Vitello Flowers." Helga replied.

"Oh, so Arnold knows about this?" Mrs. Skelter asked with a faint smile. "Yes, and if it interests you then so does Gerald, Phoebe and Lila." Helga retorted. "Lila?" Mrs. Skelter repeated in surprise. "She… sorta figured it out. That girl is way too observant for her own good." Helga declared with a crooked smile. Mrs. Skelter nodded in understanding; Lila had also known when Mrs. Skelter was pregnant. By now, she and her husband Arnold Skelter had three children and every time she was expecting one, Lila had congratulated her. It was somewhat creepy now she thought about it.

"Does your parents know?" Mrs. Skelter asked. Helga opened her mouth to speak, but then decided simply to shake her head. "How are you planning on hiding it?" Mrs. Skelter asked with one eyebrow quirked. "I'm going to hide it for as long as I can. I know Bob is going to kick me out when he finds out, so I'm trying to find an apartment as soon as possible." Helga answered. "Oh, Helga, you can't possibly think that your own father would truly kick you - - " Mrs. Skelter said, but was interrupted by Helga stating firmly that he would.

Mrs. Skelter wanted to argue against Helga, but a part of her knew that she was probably right. Bob Pataki wasn't known to be a considerate man, so even if Mrs. Skelter had only met him once, she already knew perfectly well how little he cared for anyone else but himself. Him kicking his own daughter out of his house if he found out she was pregnant was probably very likely.

"Please don't tell them." She heard Helga say all of a sudden. Mrs. Skelter looked at her in surprise. It was the first time _ever_ since she had met this girl that she had heard the word 'please' come out of her mouth without seething sarcasm. It was the first time she had heard her beg for anything, really. "I know I can't hide this forever… but please give me a chance to collect some money and try to make some plans. I know I'm already on shaky ground. I mean, I'm eighteen years old and pregnant. I know how this looks, but… I'm doing my best. I'm studying both school- and pregnancy wise. I'm trying to do this the best way possible, so _please_… don't tell anyone."

Mrs. Skelter was stunned to say the least. To see Helga Pataki, a girl known for her cruelty and her devil-may-care attitude, practically _begging_ her not to tell on her, was enough to leave her speechless. Mrs. Skelter opened her mouth to speak, but found it almost impossible to do so. "I… have to admit, Helga, I, uh…" she muttered, but then cleared her throat and looked at her seriously. "I did _not_ expect to hear so… caring and adult-like words from you. You've always been very mature and very rational, so hearing about you choosing to get a child at eighteen years old is a little… You seem to have a pretty sensible plan though. You're taking this very seriously, so I suppose…"

Mrs. Skelter sighed as her features turned softer. "It doesn't matter to me who knows about your pregnancy and who doesn't. That's your choice, so I won't tell anyone." She said with a smile, which only turned bigger when Helga's face seemed to brighten. "Thank you." She said with a relieved sigh. Mrs. Skelter nodded at her before she opened her drawer to grab Helga's phone. "I do want you to come to me if you have any questions though. More than anything else, I care about that child of yours growing up properly. So come to me if there is anything." She said as she held out her phone to Helga.

"Thank you. I will." Helga answered, grabbed her phone and quickly skimmed the screen. She smiled as she noticed how someone had already answered her question about working in a flower shop during pregnancy. "Looks like a job like that is just fine." She muttered to herself with a smile. "What is that website anyway?" Mrs. Skelter asked curiously. "Oh, it's kinda like a forum for… well, you know, girls like me. Some experts answer our questions and… they don't judge, so… I'm glad I found it." Helga answered with a smile and shoved her phone into her pocket.

"Sounds good. Get home safely, Helga." Mrs. Skelter said with a smile and turned to another drawer of hers, pulling out some papers. "I'll give a note to your gym teacher, telling him you shouldn't participate." She explained as she felt Helga's curious eyes on her. "What? But… if I suddenly stop going to gym, everyone will get suspicious." She said. "I'll tell him it's because of what happened to you, not because of the pregnancy. If anyone asks, tell them that's why. You really want to risk having a ball kicked at your stomach during dodge ball or something?" Mrs. Skelter asked with an eyebrow raised.

Helga gulped and then shook her head. "But… I'm still supposed to exercise, right?" she asked. "Yes, of course, but nothing too extreme. If you dance or do aerobic in your free time, then don't jump or bounce; stay on your feet. Don't risking falling. A good way to exercise is also cycling and swimming. I'll recommend you exercising three to four times a week. It's the best way to reduce stress and stabilize your emotions, so the mood swings won't come too often. The morning sickness should also go down quite a bit." Mrs. Skelter answered and looked up at Helga who had grabbed her phone once again at some point and was now frantically writing on it.

Mrs. Skelter looked at her in confusion, but then smiled as she realized what she was doing. "Remember to also eat 30 minutes before exercising and drink plenty of water. Get yourself a really good sports bra too. Your breasts are only going to get bigger and bigger from now on because of them developing milk, so make sure to get regular bras too. One or two cup sizes bigger, I'd recommend, but you may be different than me." She continued as she placed her chin in her palm, eyeing Helga as she nodded.

Helga had not realized that Mrs. Skelter was looking at her until she stopped tapping on her phone and looked at her. The older woman gave her a very big grin, as Helga blushed a little bit. She then scowled as she shoved her phone into her pocket again. "So I take this seriously; big deal!" she declared stubbornly, turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Mrs. Skelter sat back and couldn't help but chuckle. _Maybe Helga can really do this…_

* * *

Despite Arnold being more than a little nervous on Helga's behalf at the moment, he decided to let it go completely and focus on his job at hand; convincing Mrs. Vitello to hire Helga. As he looked up at the big sign saying 'Vitello flowers' and then at the much smaller sign saying 'Help wanted', he heard Mrs. Vitello's voice call his name. He moved his head to look through the window, noticing the elder woman waving at him. With a smile, he waved back and then walked into the shop.

"Good afternoon, Arnold. You looking to earn some money?" Mrs. Vitello asked with a smile as she stood up from her chair, holding onto her stick as if her life depended on it. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Vitello. Actually, I came in to recommend somebody for you." Arnold answered as he approached her at the cash register. "Oh, really? Well, if you're recommending someone then I bet they will be good at this. Who is it?" the woman asked him.

_And here comes the hard part…_ Arnold thought as he put on his best smile. "It's Helga Pataki." He answered. He noticed how Mrs. Vitello blinked a couple of times in something akin to confusion. "Arnold, have I done something to make you hate me?" she asked. "What?" Arnold exclaimed with a frown. "Why would you recommend me hiring a girl who most likely would pluck every single petal on my flowers just to be mean?" Mrs. Vitello asked in absolute disbelief. "Now, please listen, Mrs. Vitello." He begged. "I know Helga can seem rather… crude, but she's actually - - "

"I will always be grateful for her because she helped you save our neighborhood, Arnold, but that doesn't change the fact that she's quite the prankster. She's made a fool out of me a few times and I'm not going to let her do it again." Mrs. Vitello interrupted with a frown. "Please, Mrs. Vitello, I can promise you that Helga will work hard. She needs the money, and she's truly changed since the last time you saw her." Arnold insisted.

"How so?" Mrs. Vitello asked skeptically. "She's… got other priorities now." Arnold answered. Mrs. Vitello didn't seem to buy it, so he sighed a bit before he continued. "I swear to you that Helga is a hard worker. She's really creative too. Give her a chance and I bet she can make some really beautiful topiaries! If it'll make you feel more at ease, I'll teach her the ropes around here."

Mrs. Vitello still wasn't completely convinced that Helga Pataki of all people was the best one to let near such fragile beings as flowers, but Arnold had never let Mrs. Vitello down and he seemed desperate for Helga to work there. "All right then, Arnold, I'll decide to trust you… but if that girl starts ripping my plants apart or breaks more than one pot, then I'll make you take full responsibility." She said with a warning finger.

Arnold smiled in relief though. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Vitello, I promise you that Helga won't let you down. Now, can I help you take down that 'Help wanted' sign?" he asked enthusiastically. Mrs. Vitello rolled her eyes at the eternal eagerness of the young boy in front of her, but with a wave of her hand, she granted him permission to do so. As Arnold took the sign down, his smile wouldn't leave his face. _Things are looking up, Helga!_

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: I've actually worked in a flower shop before, so perhaps I can use a bit of my experience from there for this xD Though I personally worked at a cash register, but did make a few bouquets :3**

**Oh, and the whole Gloria thing will be explained later :P**


	12. Why must I feel this way now?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** As Helga continuously stared at the picture of her unborn child, she realized that her mother might be figuring out that she was pregnant. After she told Lila this, Arnold came to tell her that he may have found a job for her at Vitello Flowers. While she tried to find out if working in a flower shop was a healthy job from someone who was inspecting a child, her teacher Mrs. Skelter caught her and grabbed the phone, which resulted in a long, serious talk about pregnancy and child-care. As all of this occurred, Arnold managed to convince Mrs. Vitello to hire Helga, provided he showed her the ropes in the shop. Helga had nevertheless gotten herself a job and a new ally in Mrs. Skelter.**_

**Author's 1st note: Still don't know what to say! I'm so creative with these author's notes, eh? CX**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 12: "Why must I feel this way now?"

As Helga enjoyed the cool autumn breeze, she dared to smile and bare her teeth. She changed her mind though as the wind hit her face a bit harder and she shook from the cold. _Man, it's getting cold!_ She thought as she moved her bare hands to her mouth and blew on them. _I gotta get a pair of gloves…_ She added as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. _That must be Arnold._ She shoved her hand into her pocket, read Arnold's name on the display and then answered. "Hey, Arnold."

"Hi, Helga. What did Mrs. Skelter say?"

"Oh, she was very understanding. She asked me a few questions, promised not to tell anyone my secret and even said that I could come to her if I had any questions. She gave me a lot of advice too when it comes to exercise, so I think I'm going to try going out swimming in an indoor pool at some point. Is that weird considering the weather?"

"Not at all. As long as it's inside then that's fine, right?"

"I guess. So, how did it go with Mrs. Vitello?"

"You're hired." Arnold answered with a big grin, imagining Helga grinning the same way. "Really?!" she asked excitedly and bounced a bit in happiness. _Oh, shit!_ She thought as she remembered Mrs. Skelter's advice not to jump. She instantly placed her hand on her stomach as if she could feel the embryo react in some way or another. With a sigh, she smiled again. "Thank you so much, Arnold, this is a really big help."

"You're not completely in yet though… Mrs. Vitello made me promise to show you the ropes around in the shop." Arnold explained. Helga frowned a bit, but then chuckled. "I suppose she wasn't really sure if she wanted me near her dear flowers?" she asked. "Well… it was mentioned that she was afraid you'd pluck all the petals just to be mean." Arnold answered with a chuckle. "Oh, that's hardly fair!" Helga answered with a chuckle, noticing how her warm breath created some white smoke in the air. "But I see her point… So, you're gonna help me the first couple of days or something?"

"Something like that, yeah. That's ok, right?" Arnold asked. "Of course! Anything to keep this job. Besides, I know you're a good teacher." Helga answered, feeling something odd in her stomach as she did so. _Why am I being so friendly? Or rather, why can I be like this now? How is it so easy to be casual around him? For as long as I can remember, I've had problems speaking to him without insulting or snapping at him… Am I… losing my edge?_

"Oh, h-how do you know that?" Arnold asked, surprised at the sudden compliment from Helga as well. "Uh… r-remember back in fourth grade with Torvald? You were assigned to be his study buddy and he was dumb as a rock, so… so, yeah, you made him a bit smarter, I guess." Helga answered, but then frowned. _Why does it feel so unnatural to talk down about someone?_ She wondered, unbeknownst to the fact that Arnold was thinking the same thing. _That sounded… weird. Like her usual edge is gone._

"Well, I guess I did help him a bit, but he was already pretty smart. He just didn't… know it." Arnold explained, but couldn't get the fact that Helga seemed to try to be her regular self again without much gain out of his head. "Smart, but didn't know it. Yeah, that sounds _really_ clever." Helga tried with a mean-spirited chuckle, but it came out so hollow that she almost gasped at the sound. "Uh, Arnold…"

"Yes, Helga?" Arnold asked, worried because of the tired tone in her voice. "I think I need to hang up… I'm gonna go home and go to bed. I feel a little… weird." She explained as she gently placed the back of her head against the wall behind her. "Uh… sure. Are you ok?" he asked. Helga nodded despite feeling a tear run down her cheek. "Yeah… I think I just need to be alone and… get some sleep. It's been… hectic."

"That's understandable… Call me or text me if there is anything, ok?" Arnold begged. "Yeah… See you Monday." Helga answered and hung up. _I didn't even try to argue against that._ She let herself slide down onto the sidewalk, not caring about the odd stares she got as she did so. She let out yet another warm breath, which created some more white smoke. She looked at it in a daze. _What's the matter with me?_ She wondered as she put her palm on her head and scratched it. _It shouldn't bother me… that I don't feel like being rude anymore. That's a good thing, right? My cruelty has always gotten me in trouble, and I can't count how many times I've wished I could just be nice to everyone. So, now that I am… why do I feel so… fake?_

* * *

Helga wasn't even sure what she had been doing during that weekend. Before she knew it, it was time to go to school once again and she still felt rather weird. The feeling was something akin to how she had felt right after September the 6th, but this time… she felt much more aware of it. During that time, she had felt like a zombie; just walking around and moving on her own, while not being aware of what she did or didn't do. Right now, she felt aware of everything she did and everything she _didn't_.

It seemed to fuel everyone's interest in her yet again. It had died down after she found out she was pregnant and had decided to devote her entire brain and body to focus on that fact, but after she had become attentive of how much she had changed since September the 6th, she started to feel unsocial again. She tried to search about baby stuff yet again, but whenever she read a sentence, she forgot what it had said and she had to re-read it not just once, but a few times, so she gave up in the end.

While Phoebe, Gerald, Arnold and Lila were worried about Helga, they had made a silent agreement on not questioning her about her odd behavior. Arnold did tell them about Helga's failed attempt at insulting Torvald though; how weird it had sounded when she did so. He could still hear that weird edge to her voice that sounded nothing like her usual edge from… before all this happened. She had of course not acted like herself for a long time now, but her trying to be herself and that not working, was somehow scarier.

Arnold was particularly nervous since he and Helga were supposed to go and work at Vitello Flowers after school. If Helga kept acting this way, the chance of her getting to keep that job was fat. When they met outside, he decided he had to say something, even if it would result in a fight or… lack of the same.

"Helga?" Arnold said softly, earning the attention of the blonde girl walking next to him. "Hm?" she muttered in recognition of his voice. "Uh… I'm not going to ask you what's gotten you so quiet, but… whatever it is, then do you think that for your own sake… can let it go while you're working at Vitello Flowers?" he asked. She stopped walking after he asked her that. He stopped as well, turning around to look at her questioningly.

"Arnold… before I was… you know… how would you have described me?" Helga asked with her eyes downcast. Arnold's eyes widened at that question. "Uh… how I would've… Why are you…? Why are you asking me that?" he asked before he took a couple of steps towards her. Her hand started to fidget with the other, as she seemed to wonder how she should explain her question.

"It's just… I've realized that lately I've… I've stopped behaving like my usual self, you know. I mean, I know that's normal during my circumstances, but… I guess I thought that along with starting to care for Megamind, then… then I would slowly become myself again, but… yesterday I had to force myself to say anything remotely mean about someone I haven't seen in teen years even and it felt so… foreign. I know it sounds weird. I mean, who would _want_ to stay rude and such, but it was a part of who I was and now I've… lost it." Helga said before turning her body around to slump against a wall.

Arnold was surprised at Helga's confession and perhaps mostly because of how honest she was. She may have changed a lot through the last couple of months, but she had never had a heart-to-heart talk with him like this. With a sigh, he slumped against the wall as well and thought deeply about what to say. "I think that… it's too early for you to worry about this." he said honestly and turned his head to look at her despite her continuing to look at the road. "Helga, this kind of thing, the healing from this could take… _years_ before you finally feel and act like yourself again. Not sure how that helps, but… but I don't think you need to worry that your mean streak is gone. If it soothes your mind, then I did see that part of you when you confronted Rhonda back then. There was real fire in your eyes like there usually is when you're angry."

Helga seemed surprised at Arnold's last sentence and turned her head to look at him curiously. "Fire in my eyes?" she repeated. "Oh!" Arnold said and then chuckled nervously. "Not sure where that came from, but… I guess that's, uh…" he muttered and started to scratch his head. _Where in the world did that come from? Fire in her eyes when she's angry? It almost sounds as if I like it when she gets angry with me, or something._ He thought and then frowned as he realized something. _Now that I think about it… Helga hasn't called me football head ever since that happened._

"I guess… the fire _is_ what I'm missing…" Helga muttered and turned her face away to look at the sidewalk again. Arnold shook his head to get out of his thoughts and turned his head as well to look at her. "What I trusted the most in myself… the _one_ thing I knew I could count on was… my strength. Both physically and emotionally and… he stole that from me." She continued. He noticed how she had lifted her shoulders as if trying to hide herself from him.

"I seem to cry more… I seem to be so much weaker… I don't even glare at the people who make comments about me…" Helga continued and chuckled sarcastically. "Wait. What?" Arnold asked and stood in front of Helga. "Who makes comments at you?" he asked. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him. "N-No one in particular… It's just some freshmen, you know. Not the gang or anything…" she answered.

"What are they saying?" Arnold asked, feeling anger boil within him. If this was part of the reason why Helga had been so quiet lately, then he'd be damned if he didn't find these people who were making the comments. "We'll be late." Helga declared simply and brushed past him to continue down the sidewalk. "Helga!" he called as he grabbed her wrist. He could feel her flinch in his palm as she turned around to stare at him in shock.

"Sorry." Arnold muttered and started to glide his hand down from her wrist and past her hand, until she curled her fingers, stopping him from removing it completely. With a smile lasting less than a second, he let his hand stay in hers. By now, he knew which places were a no-go touch wise. Neck, shoulders, wrists and hips were no-goes. By realizing those things, he had also understood where Tevin had touched her. Hands, thank God, seemed to be all right.

"Helga…" Arnold said seriously and looked at her as she looked at their hands. Unbeknownst to him, she appreciated this touch so much more than he could ever understand. Some human contact that wasn't Phoebe and Lila were needed despite her never admitting it. She and Arnold had held hands often during their childhood, be it because of a play or simply to pull the other one with them to somewhere. It wasn't a foreign touch and she had missed it during her more critical time through this.

"Don't run away." Arnold added, causing Helga to finally look up at him in surprise. "You've always been really good at running away, and I've always let you… but not this time. You just told me that you feel like Tevin has stolen your strength, right? If you think running away proves that you're strong, you're mistaken. If anything, that proves you're weak."

Helga's expression would have been priceless to Arnold if he had been in any place to find anything funny. She just stared at him in absolute surprise for a long moment, before she sighed a bit and give him a crooked smirk. "You've always known how to work me, Arnold." She said with a bit of an unsatisfied tone to her voice. "Really? It's never felt like that." Arnold answered in a bit of surprise. "Like I'd ever admit such a thing." She stated. _You just did though._ Arnold thought with a crooked smile and stood closer to her, inquiring for her to explain what was going on.

Helga seemed to think about it for a second as she looked into Arnold's eyes and then sighed in surrender. "It's just some freshmen… When I pass them, they… try to provoke me, and when I do nothing, they… they gloat." She explained with a shrug as if it was nothing. "They gloat?" Arnold repeated, hoping for her to explain further. "Uh… they, uh…" she muttered and then sighed once again. "They say pretty much the same things as Rhonda did in the library back then."

Arnold's eyes widened as the words of Rhonda flashes through his memories. Rhonda yelling about how Helga's attitude was a scam, that she was all talk and couldn't do anything, that she couldn't protect herself and that she was fake. Arnold frowned deeply. "Who are these freshmen?" he wondered, not realizing that it had been aloud. "I don't know their names, Arnold." Helga answered with a slightly disbelieving look at his question. "It's not like you can do anything anyway."

"I could talk to them." Arnold reminded Helga, who gave a small snort at his response. "Yeah, because in Mr. Brightside's world, talking solves everything." She answered with an eyebrow quirked. Arnold smiled at her though. "Hey, you got the sarcasm down." He stated. She seemed surprised, but then just rolled her eyes playfully. "Ok, so I'm not completely lost, I guess… It helped talking about it. I haven't even told Phoebe yet." She answered and scratched her temple a bit. "Don't make a big deal out of it, ok? It's just a few comments here and there. It's not like I'm being bullied… That'd be ironic, huh?"

Arnold shook his head disapprovingly at Helga's joke, but couldn't help the small smile forming on his face because of it. "If you don't want me to talk with them, then I won't." he promised. "I'm not going to ask you not to do it… especially since you're _you_; you're going to interfere with or without my consent." Helga answered and started to walk. Doing so, she felt Arnold following her by her hand and a serious wave of flutter went through her.

With a small gulp, Helga turned around to look at their hands. Noticing her odd stare, Arnold looked down at their hands too. As he saw his fingers intertwined with hers, he felt a lump in his throat. "Uh… s-sorry." He muttered and slowly, almost reluctantly, pulled his hand away. He placed it in his hair and started nuzzling it awkwardly. _I guess we've held hands a lot when we were children… It almost felt natural._

"I didn't ask you to let go." Helga pointed out matter-of-factly before she turned around once again and continued walking. Arnold, still holding his hair in-between his fingers, lifted his head to look at her questioningly. As he saw her walk down the sidewalk, a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach started to spread. "Didn't ask me to…?" he repeated with a bit of a blush to his cheeks as he jogged until he reached her.

Arnold wasn't sure why, but his eyes kept darting towards Helga despite his head staying put. She was looking forward, so she didn't notice him looking at her curiously. He felt an odd urge he somehow recognized and yet didn't. _Why do I feel like grabbing her hand again?_ He wondered subconsciously as his eyes went towards her hand. Carefully, gently, he reached his hand out to take hers before he pulled back unsurely. _What's the matter with me? It's just Helga. It's not like I'm… that I'm…_ He wasn't capable of finishing his thought before his hand automatically went towards hers again.

"Here we are." Helga declared as she stopped walking. When she turned around to look at Arnold, he had put his hand into his hair once again. "What, do you have lice or something?" she asked with an eyebrow quirked. "Huh?" he muttered in confusion. "You've been scratching your head while we were walking, right? Does it itch or something?" she asked as she kept looking at him while grabbing the door handle to the flowers shop. "Uh, n-no." he answered as he looked at his hand before shoving it into his pocket.

After a few seconds of just eyeing Arnold curiously, Helga shook her head in dismissal and opened the door. _What the heck was that feeling?_ Arnold wondered before dismissing the thought entirely and following Helga into the stop. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Vitello." He said as the elder woman walked in from the back of the shop. "Good afternoon, Arnold… Helga." She answered as she eyed the blonde girl suspiciously. "G-Good afternoon." Helga answered awkwardly, keeping her hands curled tightly in her pockets.

"Now, listen, young lady." Mrs. Vitello said as she approached the blonde teens in front of her slowly. "I want to set one thing straight. I am only giving you a chance because Arnold promised me to keep an eye on you and teach you how things work around here. I still don't trust you, but for now I'll reserve judgment. That means _one_ mistake and you're out. Do you understand?" she asked.

Arnold felt like frowning and talking back at Mrs. Vitello. She had no right to be this suspicious of Helga; she was here, wasn't she? What did it help to attack her as soon as she walked in? Before Arnold could decide to speak on Helga's behalf, Helga beat him to it. "Yes, ma'am." She answered very simply, surprising both Arnold and Mrs. Vitello.

"Ma'am?" Mrs. Vitello repeated in surprise. "Uh… boss?" Helga suggested uncertainly. Mrs. Vitello blinked a couple of times in surprise before she erupted into a hysterical laughter. Helga blinked in surprise and turned to look at Arnold who did the same. "Was it something I said?" Helga asked. Arnold shrugged and turned his head to look at the elder lady once again. "Are you feeling all right, Mrs. Vitello?"

"Yes, my boy, the Pataki girl simply caught me by surprise." Mrs. Vitello answered as she removed a tear from her eye with her index finger. "You sure have changed. Well, all right then. There are aprons for you two hanging out in the back. Arnold, show her the basics first. Tell her about the different flowers, and what they need."

Helga blinked a couple of times in surprise, but when Mrs. Vitello gave her a kind, but impatient look, she saluted before walking away and disappearing in the back of the shop. "Did Helga Pataki just salute?" Mrs. Vitello asked with a disbelieving smiled as she pointed towards her. "I… think she did." Arnold answered with a disbelieving smile as well. "Well, I guess you were right about her. It's already going much better than I thought it would. Don't tell her that though; I don't want her to think that she's already won me over." Mrs. Vitello requested with a wink. "I won't tell on you, Mrs. Vitello." Arnold answered with a chuckle.

"Mrs. Vitello?" Helga asked as she appeared in the doorframe. "Yes?" Mrs. Vitello answered as she turned around. "Where should I put my coat?" Helga asked as she gestured with it in her hands, revealing that she had already put on the green apron and tied her hair into a ponytail. Arnold couldn't help but smile at the sight, though he wasn't sure why. "There's a clothes rack to your left." Mrs. Vitello answered.

Helga frowned in confusion and leaned back to look to her left. "Oh… I'm blind." Helga stated before she disappeared behind the wall to hang her coat. Arnold chuckled at Helga's small joke, remembering how she had even tricked him into thinking that he had made her blind at some point. It had taught him to never try to get back at Helga Pataki; she was too cunning to fall for such tricks, and even if she did, she'd always get back at you in a worse way than you could imagine.

"You go join her, Arnold; it looks like a customer is on his way here." Mrs. Vitello stated as she walked towards the cash register. "Yes, Mrs. Vitello." Arnold answered before walking past her and into the back of the shop where the greenhouse was. Helga was already in there, looking around the different flowers. As he grabbed his apron, he eyed her. She had her hands put behind her back as she slowly walked around. She was mumbling something, probably trying to remember their names or something if he knew her correctly, until she stopped at a certain flower.

Arnold tilted his head curiously to the side as Helga bend forward towards the flower and smiled lovingly at it. Finishing tying his apron, he walked towards her and leaned a little forward to look at the yellow daisies she was admiring. "Are daisies your favorite flower, Helga?" he asked softly, hoping not to make her jump. "Yeah…" she muttered in a daze, but then shook her head and arched her back, bumping right into Arnold, who automatically grabbed her upper arms to keep them both steady.

"Whoa! You ok?" Arnold asked as he turned his head a bit to look at Helga's face. "Uh… y-yeah… Sorry." She answered as her eyes darted towards him for a second. With a confused frown, Arnold's eyes slowly went towards Helga's heaving chest. She was breathing slowly and deeply, trying to calm herself as she did so. _Get your eyes away from her!_ Arnold scolded himself and looked away. _I really am weird today! Besides… she's nervous because I'm standing this close to her. Let go, idiot!_

As Arnold let go of Helga's arms, he noticed how she took a deep breath as he did so. "W-Why are daisies your favorite, Helga?" he asked, desperately trying to get the tense awkwardness out of the air. "Uh… I-I'm not sure, really. There's just something about them, you know?" Helga lied. She knew exactly why she loved them, but it wasn't a reason she could tell Arnold. "They're my favorites too." Arnold answered as he bend a little forward to look at them as well.

"Really?" Helga inquired with a smile and walked towards the flowers as well, but didn't bend towards them like Arnold did. "Yeah, I'm not sure why either though." he answered honestly and turned his head around with a small. "Do you remember back in fourth grade when you had amnesia?"

"Arnold, the whole point of amnesia is the 'not remembering' part." Helga answered as she waved her hands in a gesture. "Well, yeah, but I told you about it after you got your memory back, right?" Arnold asked with a smile, happy to hear her sarcasm once again. "Yeah… w-what about it?" Helga asked, already having a clue to why he was asking though, but as far as he knew she didn't have a clue. "While you had amnesia and we walked through the streets, then after the rain stopped, the sun came out, and you called daisies little suns coming out of the ground." He answered with a nostalgic chuckle.

Helga could feel a bit of embarrassment run through her. "Oh, r-really?" Helga asked despite knowing exactly what he was talking about. The whole amnesia thing had after all been yet another one of her pranks from back when they were children. She had never told him that though and she was definitely not planning to either.

"Yeah… I gave you one as well." Arnold answered with a smile. Helga's lips went into two thin lines as she remembered that exact moment. _My Gods, that was probably one of the happier moments in my life…_ She thought as she bend forward to stand next to him. _I still have that flower compressed at home. I haven't looked at it in a while though…_ She added in her mind with a bit of sorrow.

Even if Helga didn't plan to tell Arnold her true reason for loving daisies… it was ok to give him a hint, right? "Well… since I now know about you giving me a daisy back then…" She muttered a little shyly, noticing how Arnold turned his face to look at her. She could feel his green eyes gazing at her with curiosity. "Maybe, oh, I don't know… that could be why I love them? You know, subconsciously or… whatever." She added as she slowly turned her face to look at him as well.

The two teens hadn't realized how close they were standing to each other until this moment. Their shoulders were almost touching as they just kept looking at one another. _What is this weird feeling…?_ Arnold wondered once again as he felt his eyelids fall a bit while he kept looking in Helga's azure eyes. _I never noticed, but… her eyes are really blue. Kinda like… Kinda like diamonds._ Subconsciously he moved closer to her to look deeper into her eyes, almost feeling as if he could count every single shade of blue in them.

As Arnold moved closer, he noticed how the eyes got bigger and not because of him getting closer. All of a sudden, they were gone and he closed his eyes and shook his head as if just waking up from some sort of trance. "U-Uh, we should probably get started, you know? Mrs. Vitello will get furious if we just keep… talking." Helga explained and placed a hand in-between her breasts as if holding her heart to force it to calm down.

"Uh… r-right! Sorry! We keep talking about daisies, but we need to go through the other flowers as well!" Arnold exclaimed in a tense voice as he arched his back once again. "Exactly. I mean I need to know about petunias and roses and… a-all the other flowers as well, right?" Helga asked with a just as tense voice as his was. "Exactly, you're right, Helga. So, to finish the part about daisies; remember that they are very delicate, so be careful with them." Arnold answered as he gestured towards the yellow daisies.

"Got it." Helga said with a still nervous voice and started to follow Arnold as he walked through the small path and gestured to the flowers as he continued to speak. "The petunias needs to get watered every afternoon. Three fingers of water, no more and no less. The roses should be watered daily. They get very thirsty, so don't be stingy. The violets on the other hand - - "

"Arnold!" Helga interrupted, causing the blonde boy to halt and turn around to look at her. "Y-Yes?" he asked in a slight stutter. "If I'm supposed to remember all this, and I think I should since I'm going to work here, then you need to slow down a bit so I can hear what you're saying about the flowers, ok?" she requested. He blinked a couple of times, blushed as he realized he had been blabbering in nervousness and then chuckled. "Uh, yeah… that would probably be a good idea, right? Uh, sorry…" he answered as he started to scratch his neck in embarrassment.

"Wanna try again?" Helga asked with a small smile. Arnold smiled back at her and forced himself to calm down. "Yeah, sorry. Let's go back to the petunias." He suggested and started to walk eagerly, forgetting that he hadn't given Helga a chance to turn around and start walking herself. "Arnold!" Helga shrieked as he stepped towards her, crashing into her and knocking both of them to the floor.

Helga shrieked in shock, while Arnold snuck his arm behind her back and her head to protect her from the hard floor just before they landed on it. They stayed like that, holding each other desperately, for a few seconds as they slowly comprehended that they weren't hurt. "I'm so sorry, Helga, did I hurt you?" Arnold asked as he used his knee to move up a little, so he could look at her. Helga removed one of her hands from his hip, making it so much more obvious to him that she still had one hand on his other one, and placed it on her head as if to check if it hurt. "I don't think so…" she answered as the tip of her fingers suddenly touched his fingers. "Y-Your hand protected my head from the fall, so…"

"Oh!" Arnold exclaimed in a low voice and turned his head to look towards his hand. "Uh, yeah… Good. I mean, that I didn't hurt you that is." He added with a nervous chuckle. As he looked down at Helga, he noticed exactly that fact; that he was looking _down_, hovering above her really. He gulped as he felt her chest move against his as she breathed. "Uh… seems familiar, huh?" Helga asked nervously as she felt her head pound against her ribcage. She wasn't sure how she managed to do so, but she had forced all thoughts about Tevin out of her mind and could only feel and see Arnold above her. It wasn't like Arnold reminded her of Tevin whatsoever despite being male anyway.

"Huh? Wha… What do you mean?" Arnold asked, desperate for something to take his mind off the fact that he was hovering above Helga of all people… and the fact that he should be questioning himself why he hadn't moved away yet. "You always crash into me." Helga answered with a small chuckle. "Now, hold on; you're usually the one to bump into _me_." He corrected with a smirk. "No way! You're the one bumping into me all the time. Both as children _and_ now." she insisted stubbornly.

"Maybe, but I'm also always the one to apologize." Arnold pointed out. "Of course you are, because you're the one making me fall to the ground!" Helga answered with a satisfied smile. "Whatever you say, Helga." He complied with a roll of his eyes. "Darn straight!" she answered as she slapped her hand playfully at his chest and giggled. She could feel something push at her hand and with a bit of curiosity, she looked at Arnold's chest where she had felt it. Once again, she felt his heart beat against the palm of her hand and it made her heart beat even faster.

Unbeknownst to Helga, Arnold's heartbeat was due to her giggle. He had not once, not _once_, heard Helga Pataki giggle like that, and definitely not while being this close to her. It had made his heart go crazy and he felt as if he would have a heart attack if he didn't move away from her soon. "W-We keep procrastinating, huh?" he muttered as he moved away a bit and held his hand out to her. "Huh?" she muttered as she placed her hand in his. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed as he helped her stand up. "Yeah, we do. It seems like the universe is playing tricks on us."

"Yeah, it does, and we're not exactly good at resisting it." Arnold answered as they looked towards their hands. With embarrassment - rather than discomfort - being their motive they shook each other's hands off their own and placed their arms behind their backs. "Indeed. So, how about focusing completely on the gardening now?" Helga suggested, turned around and walked to the petunias. "Explain these to me." She requested, almost pleadingly. As he did as requested, they both thought the exact same thing; _why must I feel this way now?_

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: I wasn't planning on an 'awkward and romantic' moment to happen this early in the story xD I mean, I have soooo much planned for the rest of this story, so it almost seems rushed to me, but, hey, everyone loves a little fluff from time to time, right? xD**


	13. She would break at some point

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** Not Arnold nor Mrs. Vitello had expected Helga to simply obey; that had never been her style, but after having vented her feelings about her fear of losing herself during her pregnancy, she slowly felt herself relax and simply go with the flow.**_

_**Arnold and Helga shared a few too many moments for their heart to take, and both blonde teens had to wonder why they were feeling the way they did. Arnold, because he hadn't felt this way around Helga ever before… and Helga, because she had convinced herself she wasn't worthy of loving him after what had happened. How could she possibly love him like he deserved to after having a piece of her heart ripped out?**_

**Author's 1st note: Before we start, I HAVE to give this small hint simply because I wanna make this lame joke; ironic how chapter 13 is THIS one… ;)**

**Oh, and a HUGE thank you to my very dear friend Olive, who drew me a cover for this story :3 Olivedoodles can be found on Tumblr! :P**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 13: "She would break at some point"

In a way, it was a surprise and yet it was not. Helga was surprised due to her circumstances, and she wasn't surprised due to the fact that it was indeed… well, Arnold. A mere touch from the blonde boy could often sent her over the edge as a child, preteen and teen in general, but edge, back then, was a bridge to heart flutter, giddiness and pure ecstasy. For the last few months, the bridge had changed its course to fear, anxiety and even agony, because his hand was big, rough and strong; the same way most hands of the male population were. Going from the bridge of love and desire to the bridge of hate and distrust had made quite an impact on Helga Pataki.

Now those two bridges had somehow crossed one another and had become intertwined. Her feelings around Arnold left her confused, frustrated and something akin to sad and angry. She often left Vitello Flowers tired beyond recognition because of this rollercoaster of emotions she had to get through every single day for almost 12 hours straight. Her days went as following: she went to school, then to work, then home, watched her picture of Megamind for a few minutes and then she would fall asleep cradling it. Perhaps it was due to this exact kind of tiredness that she one morning, after having slept with the picture of her upcoming baby in her hands, forgot to put it back into her drawer and left it on her bed on full display to the whole world.

* * *

As Arnold walked through the streets on his way to school on this particular Tuesday morning, he was looking so very much forward to hear about Helga's first workday on her own. Last weekend, on Friday, Mrs. Vitello had finally admitted to Helga that not only was she competent for this job; she was very welcome to stay for as long as she wanted to. Arnold couldn't describe that cheery feeling he had when he had seen Helga's face light up after having been praised like that. That week had ended so well and he was hoping that this new one would be twice as good; how could it not with Thanksgiving on its way? Or as Gertie insisted; 4th of July.

When Arnold finally recognized some very blonde curls, he waved his hand in the air and called her name. She seemed to tense for a second, but as he approached her, she slowly turned around to give him a small smile. "Good morning, Arnold." She said the bet she could, but he frowned nevertheless. "Helga… what happened to your… coat?" he decided to ask despite it not only being the coat he was worried about. All in all, her appearance looked slightly disheveled. Her hair, usually curly, was now more lazy, her usually creamy coat had small, black, almost soot looking marks on it and her scarf seemed to have been cut in.

"What do you mean?" Helga asked with a small frown and looked down herself. "Oh! Oh, that's nothing. I was a bit clumsy yesterday… when I was putting on my coat after working at Vitello Flowers, I kinda sorta cut it on some of the thorns and got some dirt on it too. I ended up having to sweep it all up and while doing that, I got it all over the coat, so… yeah, and I didn't have time to clean it."

Arnold's eyebrows furrowed in skepticism. Helga wasn't one to be clumsy; she had proven that several times while they had worked together at Vitello Flowers. It was often he, who was the clumsy one in that area actually. He couldn't help remembering some of the more awkward moments that clumsiness had resulted in. "Oh… well, are you doing ok? You're not dizzy or something?" he asked.

Helga lifted her hand in dismissal and shook her head. "Not at all. I was a little yesterday, but I'm fine today." She answered almost a little too reassuringly. Arnold was about to question her, just a little bit, when the voice of Gerald and Phoebe interrupted him. "Good morning, our favorite blonde peoples!" Gerald greeted with a big grin as he and Phoebe approached them. "Good morning." Helga greeted with a somewhat tense smile as she got eye contact with Phoebe. Phoebe seemed to scan Helga's appearance for a second, but didn't say anything. Arnold wasn't sure if she knew what was going on or if she could read Helga's mind like a pro.

"Whoa, Pataki, you look like a train wreck!" Gerald said though without any hesitation whatsoever. "She does not!" Phoebe said in shock. "All right, I may be overreacting, but you almost never let your clothes be dirty for too long. What the heck happened?" Gerald asked as he eyed Helga a little. "Ok, so I'm really tired all the time and don't have the energy to do my laundry properly. I only have this one coat, so I couldn't really grab anything else. Can we please change the subject?" she asked with a bit of edge to her voice, something akin to panic before she turned around to walk towards the school entrance. Whatever was going on, she definitely didn't want them to know.

* * *

When the day ended, Arnold simply couldn't help himself; he decided to pay Helga a visit at Vitello Flowers. At first, he had planned to follow her there, but she had managed to escape his sight. As he walked through the door to Vitello Flowers, Mrs. Vitello lifted her head to look at him. "Oh, hello, Arnold." She said with a small smile. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Vitello. Uh, could I speak with Helga for a while?" he asked as he approached her. "If you wish to speak with the Pataki girl, you'll have to look elsewhere. She's not here." The elder woman answered.

Arnold's eyes widened. "What?!" he exclaimed in absolute shock. "She wasn't here yesterday either. Is something the matter with her? She seemed so happy to be working here, so I was a little surprised that she stopped coming." Mrs. Vitello said with a confused frown. "She was! I mean, she is! I don't get it. She really did enjoy - - Wait, she wasn't here yesterday either?" Arnold asked as he remembered her words. She shook her head in response. "Haven't seen her since Friday."

_Then Helga was lying about the coat thing…_ Arnold thought with a sigh. "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Vitello, Helga seems to have some… problems at the moment. I'll try to figure out what's going on as soon as possible, but… will you excuse her for yesterday and today?" he asked. "Why, of course. I figured from the beginning that something was going on with her anyhow." She answered. "What do you mean?" Arnold asked. "Arnold… you may have always been a very kind boy and that has never changed, and probably never will, but when you ask for a personal favor for _Helga Pataki_… then something's going on." She answered with a wink.

Arnold blushed a little as he chuckled and started to scratch the back of his head. "Oh… so do you _know_ what's going on?" he asked curiously. "Well… there are some rumors going on outside your school." Mrs. Vitello answered. Arnold gulped. "R-Really? What do they say?" he asked. "Well… is it true that she was…" she asked and then turned her voice into a whisper. "Molested?"

Arnold could almost see white as Mrs. Vitello asked that. He grabbed the desk and placed a hand in front of his face. "Where did you hear that?" he asked. "So it's true?" she asked with big, horrid eyes. "I didn't say that… Where did you hear it?" he asked as he removed his hand from his face. He and Mrs. Vitello seemed to come to a silent conclusion that they would not talk much further about this. "I heard it from Mr. Green." She answered simply.

"Who heard it from someone, who heard it from someone else and so on…? I know that story." Arnold answered with a sigh. "I'll try and talk to her. Have a nice day, Mrs. Vitello." He added with a small wave and walked towards the door. "You too, Arnold. Tell Helga she's welcome to come back anytime. No hard feelings." She answered before going back to work.

* * *

When Arnold stepped onto the small step to Helga's house and rang the doorbell, he felt more than a little nervous about having to face Bob Pataki. Arnold heard some rummaging in the room, and then the door was opened and Bob was standing in the doorframe. "We don't want anything! Oh, it's you, Arnie. What do you want?" he asked before his wife appeared next to him. "His name isn't Arnie, B, it's Arnold." She corrected with a small smile and stepped in front of her husband. "Whatever. What does he want?" Bob asked.

Arnold couldn't help but smile at the fact that Miriam had for once remembered his name, even if Bob hadn't. As he looked at Bob though, he noticed a very obvious dark blue circle around his eye. _What in the world?_ Arnold had thought, but shoved his curiosity away. There was something else far more important on his mind. "I was hoping I could speak with Helga?" he asked kindly, hoping for this part of the visit to be over soon. Bob gave a dark look. "We don't know anyone named Helga." He answered. "B!" Miriam chastised, but he didn't hold back. "You can tell Helga that if she ever comes back, I'll make her regret ever being born!"

"B! Go inside and watch football. I'll take care of this." Miriam begged him. The man gave a grunt before walking back inside clearly not all that interested in the conversation. When Miriam turned around to look at Arnold again, she sighed at the obvious shock in his eyes. "Wha… What was that about? What's going on? Where is Helga?" he asked worriedly. She lifted her hand gently to silence him before she closed the door behind her. "Please calm down."

"Calm down?! How can I calm down? Why do you let your husband talk that way about your daughter? Where is she?" Arnold probed angrily. Miriam sighed in despair. "I don't know." She replied. He frowned deeply. "How can you not know where your own daughter is?" he asked in absolute disbelief. "She ran away from home last night." Miriam answered with a frown. He blinked a couple of times. "Wait… What?! What happened?"

Miriam seemed to hesitate. "Arnold… you were there the night Helga was raped, right?" she asked. Arnold frowned at the sudden subject change. "Uh… yes?" he inquired. "Do you know what… what happened after…? What the consequences of…? Oh, dear." She said and readjusted her glasses. She was clearly having a hard time asking what she wished to ask and slowly, almost as if creeping up on him, Arnold realized what had happened. "Oh, God… you found the picture, didn't you?"

Miriam's eyes seemed to widen, but with a sigh, she nodded. "I already knew about the baby, but Bob didn't… so he told me to call her and ask her to come straight home from school… When Helga came home they had quite the fight… Bob wanted Helga to have an abortion and when she refused, he… kicked her out of the house." She explained. "He kicked her out?!" Arnold repeated. "It was a mix of being kicked out and running away… Helga is going to school, right?" Miriam asked, to which Arnold nodded. "Oh, thank goodness." She said in relief. "Then she at least hasn't hurt herself or the child… Do you think she's staying over at Phoebe's house?"

"No. Phoebe doesn't even know what's going on either. Helga made up a lie, so… L-Listen, do you have any idea where she might have…" Arnold stopped talking before he could ask his question. "What?" Miriam asked. Arnold started smiling as he walked backwards. "I think I know where she is." He stated before turning around and started running. Miriam opened her mouth to ask where, but then closed it once again. She didn't deserve to know, and she knew that. When Bob and Helga had been fighting, she had just looked on. Helga had even turned to her, begging with her eyes to help her and Miriam had just kept sitting back. She was sure she had seen all hope in her daughter's eyes disappear at that and the sight would haunt her forever.

* * *

As Arnold ran towards the one place, he was almost sure he could find Helga, he couldn't help but smile as he did so. He hadn't been near Mighty Pete in a long time and he most definitely hadn't been up in the treehouse for far longer. It wasn't like the gang had abandoned their beloved treehouse, but it had become slightly neglected through the years as they grew older and got more to do in their homes and at school.

"Helga!" Arnold called when he finally reached Mighty Pete. The rope ladder was still hanging lazily from the treehouse, but looked like it needed a loving hand; kind of like the rest of the treehouse. It definitely wasn't livable, but compared to living on the streets… Yes, he would have gone here if he were in Helga's situation. "Helga, I'm coming up, ok?" he asked as he grabbed the ladder and started to climb. When his head appeared at the hole in the floor, he looked around. Helga wasn't in sight.

"Helga? I heard what happened. Please come out." Arnold begged as he pulled himself up on the wooden floor. He kept looking around, waiting for Helga to talk, but it never happened. Not even when he checked the upstairs or the small balcony outside. "Helga!" he called once again and checked the whole house once more. Nothing. _I was sure she'd be here… Maybe she really is at Phoebe's house? Or maybe Lila's… She could have gotten them to lie on her behalf._ He thought with a frown before climbing down the ladder once again.

If Arnold had looked just a little harder inside the treehouse, he would've found Helga hiding in the big wooden chest. When she was sure he was gone, she opened the lid and climbed outside, gasping for air. "S-Sorry, Megamind…" she muttered as she placed her hand on her stomach. "I know it was pretty tight in there, but… but if Arnold had found us, I would've… I would've started yelling and that's not healthy for you either, so… Oh, criminy, I'm such a basket case!"

Helga placed her hands on her face in disbelief of her own actions. Yet, she wasn't so surprised. She felt so scared once again. Everything had become such a mess within less than an hour, and it wasn't like everything wasn't a chaos to begin with. This was just the cherry on top of this dessert she had definitely not ordered… but had wind up wanting. It was being sprinkled with a lot of things she did like and it had seemed appetizing, until her dad had blown the whole thing up and she felt like if she was right back where she started; with a promise of a life she'd find tasteless.

Helga closed her eyes as she forced herself to rewind her memories back to that horrible moment when she had come home after receiving a call from her mom about going straight home after school. It had seemed fishy, she now realized… and she should have known what was to come. When she got home, her mother, who had been trying to warn her, had met her in the hallway. Before Helga could have understood what was going on, Bob had appeared and Hell broke loose.

Helga had faint memories of feeling her voice breaking from yelling and shouting for that long. She had often fought with her parents over the years, especially since getting into puberty, but it had never been quite this passionate. Never had Helga cared this much about the outcome of the fight either. She knew, as she cried while screaming at the top of her lungs, that if she couldn't convince her dad to let her keep the child, she would've ended up running away as she had done.

How could Helga not have run away after what Bob did? As they had been shouting, he had been holding the picture of her child in his hand, sometimes wrenching it a little bit in his fist. When Helga had finally told him to let go of the picture, he had gone straight to the coffee table and held it over the burning candle on it. As she had watched the proof of the living being growing inside of her burn like a witch on a bonfire, she felt something inside her snap. As soon as the picture had crumbled to ashes, she had walked calmly towards her dad, eerily calmly, she was sure Miriam had noticed, and then punched him with all her might. The force had sent him straight into the fireplace, probably knocking his head violently against the stones.

As Helga had watched Bob cringe in pain and hear her mother's scream as some blood trickled from his head, Helga wheezed in pain and shock. She had just punched her dad, a man with a temper far worse than hers. Not only was she now fearing her own and Megamind's life, but also herself. She was scared of herself. She was going to have a child! A proper human being, who was going to have a child, shouldn't walk around punching people! Especially the grandfather of the child… She had been so shocked at what she had done, no matter how heated the moment had been, that she had run off despite her mother's attempt at stopping her.

Helga sighed heavily. _I should have at least tried to get ahold of some things before I ran off… It's not like I can go back and get clothes, my school stuff, bags or… anything._ She thought and sighed once again before sitting up. _How did Arnold find out anyway? He used to be so dense; when did he get so observant? He must have gone to Mrs. Vitello, found out that I hadn't been at work and then gone straight to my house… Bob probably shouted about how he hated me and not even Arnold is dense enough not to figure out why._

Helga looked down at her stomach and placed a tender hand on it. "You sure are turning my life upside-down, Megamind… I've heard people saying that children are supposed to do that, but I don't think they meant like this!" she said with a warm smile, despite her tone of voice being slightly seething. When she felt a cold breeze enter the treehouse, she grabbed her stomach with her other arm and wrapped herself closely into her own embrace. _I can't live like this for long, I know, but… I just can't bring myself to ask for help._ She thought, before adding an 'again' while she shuddered.

* * *

Arnold, opposite Helga, was sitting inside his living room with a cup of cocoa in his hands, brought to him by his grandmother. After leaving Mighty Pete, he had walked around in the city, trying to find Helga… wherever. When he got home, his grandmother had almost accused him of being an evil frost spirit. His whole face and hands were blue and his hair was filled with snow, making him almost unrecognizable to even his grandparents. It wasn't until Susie had come down and gasped his name, that his grandparents had to realize that it was indeed him and had pulled him inside to wrap him in ten blankets.

"Can I come out now?" Arnold asked with a childish voice. "You stay right there, short man, you need to get warm again." Phil answered with no hesitation in his voice whatsoever. "I'm _sweating_ by now, grandpa." He answered before pulling his head out of the blankets. "I feel like I'll get a heatstroke if I stay inside any longer."

"Then let your head stay outside, but keep your body wrapped in the blankets." Phil suggested and Arnold nodded as he snuggled the blankets tighter around his body. He couldn't help feeling guilty as he did so. Here he was; sitting inside a warm, cozy living room with his grandparents while Helga was out there somewhere, probably struggling to at least not freeze to death. _She probably is inside the treehouse… at least now; she'd be stupid not to at least find shelter there and she isn't stupid._

Arnold started to bite at his lower lip and then frowned after a couple of seconds. "I can't just sit here." He declared aloud and stood up from the couch. "Where are you going, short man?" Phil asked worriedly. "To help a soldier in need!" Gertie declared from inside the kitchen, before she appeared with a small bowl in her hands. "Here you go, officer, this is for Eleanor." She added as she gave Arnold the pot in his hands. His smile widened considerably as he realized that Gertie had realized what he'd end up doing before he had realized it himself. "Thank you, grandma." He said, gave her a kiss on the cheek, grabbed a blanket and ran out to the hallway.

As Arnold got dressed and eventually started running outside, carrying the thermal bowl and blanket in his arms, his smile never left his face. _Helga may not even be there. She might have found shelter somewhere else… but I hope she's there! I really do._ He thought as he kept running until he finally reached Mighty Pete, now being completely out of breath. He stood there for a second, trying to catch his breath as he gazed at a small light in the treehouse. _She's using her cell for light._ He thought with a smile before grabbing the ladder.

Helga hadn't noticed anyone approaching the treehouse. She was simply counting her blessings that her phone had been in her pocket before the fight with Bob and that she at least had a way to distract herself from the bitter cold. Her coat may be warm during the day for a few hours, but during the night after almost twelve? No way.

"Helga?" a male voice asked gently, causing Helga to gasp lowly. She was at the top floor, but was now looking down through the hole in the floor. She could see Arnold climbing into the treehouse, having a bowl and a blanket in his hands. She couldn't believe her eyes or her ears as he started speaking. "I'm not going to ask you to come home with me… especially since I'm not even sure if you're really here, but… I just couldn't sit at home, so… I really do hope you're here and that you're just hiding from me. I'm not going to ask you to come out, but… I hope you'll talk with me tomorrow at school… and that you'll be there." He said softly, all the while placing the bowl on the small table and the blanket on the small couch.

Arnold seemed as if he was about to leave at first, but then stopped with a smile. Helga frowned in confusion as he sat down with his legs crisscrossed. "Just in case you're really here… I have no idea how you may feel at the moment and knowing you, you'll never tell me… but I need to say this at least." He said, almost nervously. Helga hadn't even noticed that she had placed herself on all fours to get as close to the hole in the floor as possible to look at him. She could feel her heart beating so very fast and she didn't know why. If it was fear, anxiety or… anticipation.

"I hope… or rather, I… Uh… I'm not good at this, but… I remember you once told me that… you didn't want to be my charity case. That you didn't want to be treated like a frail being who needed help. I remember that fight very clearly. I… wonder if you remember it too?" Arnold wondered aloud with a nervous chuckle. Helga did indeed remember that fight. It had been one of their worse ones, back when they had turned fourteen. She didn't even remember what he had been wanting to help her with, but she definitely remembered snapping at him completely. Their relationship had become so sour after that, that they almost didn't speak at all for a whole month. Not until Phoebe and Gerald had pushed them together, forced them both to talk about it and then they had slowly gotten back to the somewhat friendship they had.

"That fight really… did a number on me, so to speak." Arnold continued and took a deep breath. "I knew you hated receiving help from people, but that you thought I looked at you like some charity object… it really made me think about how I treated you. I never once, not once, thought of you as a charity project. I never thought of you as something I did just out of the kindness of my heart, and what I want you to know is that… is that it's still not like that. Yes, I help the people around me. Yes, I do it because I'm kind, but… Helga… I-I'm helping you, because I… because I want to… No, wait, that sounds like I don't enjoy helping others. It's more like… m-more like… I'm helping you, only because I want to, not because I feel obligated to or… No, wait, that sounds wrong too. I… I don't understand what I'm saying!"

Arnold was about to pull at his hair in utter frustration, until a thud upstairs caused him to look up. He only just caught sight of Helga as she stumbled forward and slipped down the short staircase towards him. He didn't gasp, didn't say anything, as he just reached out to grab her. Helga fell safely into his arms, landing with her chest against his and her arms in-between them. They were so close that they could feel each other's heartbeats.

Helga seemed to take a shaky breath, before speaking. "_I_ understand what you're saying." She said calmly. Arnold blinked a couple of times. He had known and yet not known that Helga was there somewhere. Her falling down into his arms, almost like an angel from the sky, had made his heartbeat faster than what was probably healthy. To feel Helga though, wrap her arms gently around his shoulders and placing her chin in the crook of his neck, made his heart stop altogether.

Arnold smiled gently, deciding subconsciously to not question why his heart felt this warm and simply wrapped his arms around Helga as well, making sure not to touch her hips as he did so. He rocked her gently, catching himself hoping for this moment to never end. It was just the two of them; no pain, no Tevin, no betrayal, no Bob, no nosy teens and no fear. Just two people holding each other.

* * *

"I'm guessing Gertie made this?" Helga asked as she put the bowl to her blue lips and drank a bit from it. "Yeah. She knew I'd end up going out here to give you some blankets, so she prepared soup for you too. Sometimes I think she knows me more than I know myself." Arnold answered. Helga snuggled a little inside the blanket and looked at him. "Tell her I'm really grateful. Without this bowl, my hands may have fallen off eventually." She said with a smile, but then seemed shy all of a sudden. "And tell yourself I'm grateful for the blankets as well."

Arnold gave a toothy grin at Helga's odd way of thanking him, but decided not to push his luck by teasing her or even answering. He started frowning instead as he looked around the treehouse. "You're not planning to start living here, are you?" he asked. She snorted. "No, of course not… but I may not have a choice." She answered. "You always have a choice, Helga." He pointed out, but a glare from her made him shut his mouth. For a couple of seconds. "You can always come to the boarding house if you want."

"What happened to you not going to ask me to come home with you?" Helga asked as she quirked an eyebrow. "Uh… I don't remember saying that." Arnold answered innocently. Helga's snicker soon turned into a heartfelt laughter. "You are irredeemable." She stated with a smile before drinking from the bowl once again. "So are you." Arnold stated right back. Her eyes turned to look at him while she kept drinking the soup.

After finishing the soup, Helga placed the bowl in her lap for a couple of seconds. "I'm going to bed." She declared before standing up, making sure to hold the blanket close to her as she did so. "You're really staying _here_?" Arnold asked as he looked around. As a child, he remembered that even if Helga _did_ go out camping, it was in a luxurious caravan. Mighty Pete may be a sturdy tree with a great treehouse, but it was nevertheless a treehouse with no source of heat whatsoever.

"Yes, I am, and if you try to stop me or pull me with you, I won't even keep the blanket here with me." Helga pointed out stubbornly and placed herself on the couch. Arnold groaned, but then just smiled at her. "All right. I won't push you tonight, but I hope this will be your last night here. You should tell Phoebe about this. She'd let you stay at her place for a while, you know." He pointed out as he positioned himself with his legs through the hole in the floor, sneaking his feet into the first step of the ladder.

"I know. I'm telling her, Gerald and Lila tomorrow. We'll see what happens after that." Helga said as she placed the bowl on the table next to her. "Lila too?" Arnold questioned with a knowing smile. She blew a raspberry at him, not caring she had just busted that she considered Lila a friend by now. At least something akin to a friend. An ally, maybe. Arnold chuckled at Helga's childish act. "Good night, Helga."

"Goodnight, Arnold." Helga answered, shuffled under the blanket and closed her eyes tiredly. Arnold kept standing half inside the treehouse and half on the ladder for, who knew how long, until he could finally hear some light snoring from Helga. With a smile, he climbed down the ladder. He sighed happily as he looked at the treehouse for a couple of minutes. His smile turned into a worried frown though, when he realized that Helga's situation had become a million times worse… she may have been strong, but she was no superhuman like in the Marvel comics; she would break at some point physically… if not emotionally first. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Sorry it took so long! School is my excuse and I'm sticking to it! xD It's almost Christmas too, for heaven's sake, I'm trying to write a Christmas-related one-shot with Hey Arnold! Look forward to it; I'm hoping I can finish it before the 24th of December, which means I'll have to be slow with 'Let me be your hero' through December :3**


	14. Everyone knows something I don't

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** As Helga got more and more confused by her own mixed feelings towards Arnold, the boy in question was simply happy to be of help to his friend. As soon as he left her to work alone at Vitello Flowers, she started to act funny though and came to school in a dirty and ripped coat.**_

_**It didn't take Arnold long to do what he did best; meddle. When he found out from Miriam that Bob had found the picture of Helga's soon-to-be child and Helga was kicked out of the house in the process, he did his best to find her. Despite her hiding in the treehouse in Mighty Pete in the beginning, he found her nevertheless later same night.**_

_**After leaving Helga to sleep in the treehouse, giving her a blanket and some food, he swore to himself that he would help Helga once again the best he could.**_

**Author's 1st note: Don't know what to say! I'm sick! So I feel like crap :( I don't have time to be sick again, damn it! DX**

**(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)**

* * *

Chapter 14: "Everyone knows something I don't"

Helga felt aching in every joint when she got to school Wednesday morning. She felt much better than she had Tuesday morning though, but couldn't ignore the fact that she was, indeed, currently sleeping on an old couch… with one blanket. A blanket that brought emotionally warmth too, she had to admit, but she was still stunned that she had been able to wake up at an appropriate time. Not appropriate enough though, since she didn't arrive at the school before the second period.

"Helga Pataki. Nice of you to show up." Mr. Smith said coolly, but didn't make too much of a deal out of it. Helga snuck towards her seat way back in the room. She tried to keep her coat on without being noticed, but a stern look from Mr. Smith told her she had failed. "Please take your coat off, Miss Pataki." He ordered and waited for her to do so. Some of her classmates looked curiously at her, including her gang. With a small sigh, she snuck the coat off her body, revealing that she was now wearing the same outfit third day in a row.

Arnold's eyes widened. _I'm an idiot! Why didn't I think of that? I could have brought her some of mom's clothes! Or Susie's… or whatever._ He thought with a sigh, disappointed in himself. He knew that if his mother, Stella, had been there, she probably would have reminded him to bring Helga clothes. She wasn't though; neither was his father. They were both still in San Lorenzo, fighting to protect the Green-Eyed people against the disease.

After meeting them, finding them, back when he was a child, he had been reluctant to leave. His parents had forced him to though, insisting that it was too dangerous for him to stay, and him, not wanting to worry them when they had an important job to do, decided to trust them and go back to Hillwood. They had survived for ten years by then; a few more years probably wouldn't kill them, he hoped. Right now though, he was missing the advice of a woman. Gertie was wonderful, but getting advice from her was probably something she was too airheaded for.

Arnold could hear Rhonda's small gasp behind him. When he turned around to eye her, she was holding a hand to her nose with obvious disgust. He frowned in confusion before he sniffed the air and let his eyes widen. _Is that…_ he wondered, but then mentally smacked his forehead. _Of course, it is… Helga probably haven't showered since Monday morning. Why haven't I thought of such things?! That's it! I'm forcing her to sleep at Phoebe's home or something; this can't go on. It's not healthy for Megamind either._

* * *

As soon as the class was over and it was time for recess, Helga and Arnold stood up from their desks and walked towards each other. "Grab Gerald and bring him to school gates. I'll take Lila and Phoebe there as well." Helga whispered quickly. Arnold nodded in understanding and then they parted. While Helga grabbed Phoebe and Lila without much trouble – they had expected her to do so; Arnold had a harder time convincing Gerald to follow simply. He kept asking him what was going on, but did follow Arnold in the end.

"Helga, what's happening?" Phoebe asked worriedly when they reached the school gates. Helga didn't answer, but simply turned her head to look at Arnold who had Gerald jogging behind him. When the two boys approached the girls at the school gates, she sighed deeply. "Bob… Bob found the picture." She explained, causing a gasp from the three friends who hadn't known. "When? How?" Lila asked worriedly. "Monday morning and…" Helga answered and scratched her head thoughtfully. "Because I forgot to put it back in my drawer before I went to school."

"I told you so!" Gerald said with a frown and pointed accusingly at Helga. "I know!" she answered as she slapped his hand away from her. "But saying that isn't helping." She added. "Wait, wait, wait. Helga, why didn't you tell us?" Phoebe asked in a tone that indicated she was hurt. Helga looked guiltily at her. "I… I'm telling you now, aren't I?" she answered. Gerald frowned. "_Not_ telling us such things will make us worry more! And may I just say, Pataki, ew! You stink!" he pointed out and put his hand to his nose.

Arnold stabbed an elbow into Gerald's ribs while Helga simply rolled her eyes. "Hey, _you_ try to sleep for two nights straight inside a treehouse and see how good you smell after that; that's why I wanted to keep my coat on to begin with!" she explained. "You've been sleeping in Mighty Pete?" Lila asked in surprise. "Yeah, where else was I supposed to go?" Helga asked. "To my house!" both Phoebe and Lila answered, looking shortly at each other in surprise, but turned back to frown at Helga right after.

"That's also why I'm telling you guys now… I don't have anything inside that treehouse to keep me alive and I've probably lost my job already." Helga replied. "No." Arnold answered, making the others turn their heads to look at him. "Mrs. Vitello was just worried about you. You can go back to work today and she won't sent you away." He explained. "How can she forgive me after not going to work for two days straight without any explanation?" she asked skeptically.

"Uh… Mrs. Vitello sorta… knows… about the incident that is, not the pregnancy." Arnold answered before biting his lower lip. Helga went bulge-eyed. "You _told_ her?!" she asked in absolute disbelief. "No! I'd never do that! But… But it seems like the rumor has spread around the city." He answered. Helga groaned as she shut her eyes tight. "Great. Why don't they just write it in the freaking newspaper?" she suggested sarcastically before turning her back to the group and looking through the street towards the blue horizon.

"Well, that does solve a lot of issues." Helga observed thoughtfully. "How so?" Gerald asked skeptically. She turned to look at her friends over her shoulder. "I have a warm place to stay through most of the day. It's only the nights I really fear." She explained before looking towards the skyline again. "What about food?" Phoebe asked. "I'll buy food for the money I earn at Vitello Flowers." Helga answered. "You won't get paid until at least three weeks! Are you planning to starve until then?" Gerald asked. Helga started to chew at her lip, knowing far too well that her situation didn't look very good. "I'll figure something out."

"Helga." Arnold said firmly, stepping forward. Helga turned her body around to face him. "I can't believe _I'm_ the one telling you this, but you're being _way_ too positive." He said resolutely. Her eyes widened, as the others' eyes did as well. "_Hey_." she said before taking a step closer to Arnold and glared a little at him. "Ever heard of the expression 'I may not have a dime, but I got street savoir faire'?"

Arnold frowned in confusion. "No." he answered simply. "Well, now you have." Helga said before brushing past him. "Helga." Lila said pleadingly, about to grab her shoulder, but Helga turned around before she could do so. "I _know_ that… none of you look at me like a charity case or anything." She said, clearly eyeing Arnold as she did so. "But I need to stand on my own two feet. I don't only have to think about myself here; I'm going to have a child soon and if I can't take care of myself, then how am I supposed to take care of a baby? So, _please_, until I'm on the verge of dying or killing Megamind… then let me try to do this myself."

No one knew what to say. Until a moment ago, they would all have agreed that Helga was being stupid and stubborn for not accepting their help… but how could they possible argue against that? Helga was right; she had been spoiled with money and materialistic things through her whole life until this moment. She didn't know how to work or take care of herself. The only way to learn was to try for yourself. It was still unnerving though for everyone.

"I guess that's true." Phoebe muttered reluctantly. "Yes, I believe so too. A mom needs to take care of her child in her own way…" Lila said with determination in her eyes, not noticing how Helga's eyes widened at her words. "Even if it still makes me ever so nervous to leave you to yourself, Helga." She added and finally looked towards her, noticing the somehow shocked expression on her face. "Helga?"

The rest looked at Helga as well as she seemed to have frozen. "Helga?" Phoebe asked softly and placed a gentle hand on Helga's shoulder, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. She chuckled nervously, looking almost as if she found herself silly. "I'm… stupid. I've been saying and thinking… 'I'm going to have a child soon', 'I'm going to have a baby' and so on, but…" she said and chuckled tensely again. "Not once have I… have I thought that _I_… am going to become a… _mom_."

The others stared blankly at Helga until she seemed to gasp for air. "L-Let's get you to the bench." Phoebe suggested, swung Helga's arm over her shoulder and started walking with her. Helga followed her slightly clumsily, but she didn't seem about to pass out or any such thing as she sat down. "Here." Arnold said and offered Helga a bottle of water he had pulled out of his bag the second he saw her eyes go all jittery.

Helga opened her eyes to grab the bottle, but saw three bottles in front of her. Feeling frustrated at being so dizzy because of such a silly revelation, she grabbed the bottle in the middle stubbornly. She grabbed both the bottle and Arnold's hand in the process, causing him to gasp at the sudden contact. Not realizing that she had grabbed his hand as well, she brought the bottle to her lips and drank from it. Arnold blushed a bit as he held the bottle to her mouth, feeling shy about practically nursing her.

When Helga let go of the bottle, she opened her eyes and noticed how there was still three of everything in front of her. "Thanks… and sorry. I just didn't know which bottle to grab." She explained as if that would make sense. Arnold's eyes went wide and he crouched in front of Helga. "What do you mean? Are you seeing double?" he asked worriedly. She smiled goofily. "You have six pair of emerald eyes, so more like triple."

Arnold couldn't help the very small blush forming on his cheeks at the description of his eyes, but shoved away his unnecessarily fast-beating heart and placed Helga's hand atop of her head. While taking ahold of her other hand and placing that one over the other, she realized what he was doing and she slowly spread her legs a bit and bend forward. She closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths to calm herself down. Arnold kept a hand on her head for a while, but removed it after a few seconds.

When Arnold saw Helga's eyelids slowly flutter open, he stood up. "How many feet do you see?" he asked, hoping for her to of course only see two of her own. "… Four." She answered. With a sigh, he crouched in front of her again. "Drink more water." He inquired, until she held her head up and looked at him once again. "I can see your feet too." She explained with a lopsided grin. He just… stared at her. He didn't know why, but he started smiling at her small joke. What was it that was so undeniably charming about her all of a sudden?

"She's fine." Arnold stated with a smile and straightened his knees to stand up again. "Relatively." Helga corrected and took a deep breath. "Why did I freak out about such a small thing…? I mean, having a child, becoming a mom, it's the same thing, right?" She asked, but as soon as she asked the question, her eyes widened again. "From now on the word 'mom' is forbidden, got it? The punishment will be a stroke of lightning."

"Or the Helga Pataki glare of death." Gerald added to lighten the mood. Helga glared at him and he smiled. "Yeah, there it is." He observed with a chuckle. Helga snickered, but it soon turned into a very heartfelt warm laughter that almost felt contagious. The rest of the people around her laughed along with her. Arnold couldn't help the very big smile he had on his lips as he saw Helga laugh like this for the first time in a very long time. She was definitely recovering, and he just hoped that this wouldn't take away her spirit in the end.

When Helga stopped laughing, she cringed her nose. "I really do need some new clothes and a shower though." She muttered as she looked at herself. "I concur!" Gerald replied, earning a stuck out tongue from Helga. "You can come to my place after school, Helga. I have some clothes you can borrow too." Lila said. Helga smiled at her. "Thanks… Do you own any pants though?" she couldn't help but ask. Lila giggled and nodded. "My dad has bought me ever so many through the years. It's like he hasn't realized I don't wear them."

"Oh, thank God!" Helga exclaimed, truly happy she didn't have to wear one of Lila's many plaid skirts. The group chuckled at her exclamation and she finally stood up. She was wobbly for a second, but quickly steadied herself. "Well… turns out this whole talking-about-things really does help, so… can we go back to school and just pretend everything is normal again?" she asked. "Those two statements have nothing to do with each other, but sure." Gerald asked, grabbed Helga's shoulder and caressed it for a bit in a warming motion.

Helga tensed instantly at the touch from the male next to her. Arnold noticed, grabbed Gerald's head and pulled him away roughly, having felt something inside him cringe as soon as Gerald had lifted his arm to give Helga a sideways hold. "Ow! What gives?" Gerald asked, grabbing his head as if that would make the slight pain go away. "Idiot!" Arnold whispered and gave him an elbow to his ribs once again that day. "What? Helga doesn't mind _you_ touching her; why am I different?" he asked with a sour look.

"It's not _you_ who's different, Gerald, it's Arnold who's different. Isn't that ever so true, Helga?" Lila asked with a smirk on her face, hidden behind the usual sincere smile. Helga turned to look at the red-haired girl in a mix of curiosity and anger. Arnold himself was looking at the side of Helga's face, anticipating whatever answer she'd might give. Her eyes darted towards him for a second, before she coughed in slight discomfort. "Of course!" she stated and gave a lopsided grin in Arnold's direction. "Arnold wouldn't even hurt a fly; how could he possibly scare me?"

Helga knew she had just lied. In two different ways even. On one hand, she wasn't not scared of Arnold because she knew he wouldn't hurt her, though she knew that was true as well. The reason because of her lack of fear was that she trusted him, if any male in the world. On the other hand, she had lied because she definitely was scared of him like any male in the world. He made her tense up as Gerald also did and not always in the usual 'oh-he's-standing-so-close-to-me' way. These mixed feelings around Arnold of all people seemed to tear her up more and more. It would be so much easier if she could just love him or fear him; this endless turmoil was slowly scarring her.

Arnold was also feeling mixed up inside at Helga's answer. On one hand, he was happy that he seemed to be the exception to her fear of men, which of course would make anyone happy. On the other hand, her reasoning had hurt him a bit. He had hoped it was simply because she trusted him… that he had managed to make her trust him through the years, not because he was such a kind soul. He felt disappointed… and he didn't understand why.

On Gerald's side, he was only feeling _one_ thing; confusion. "That's not fair!" he started, pulling Arnold and Helga out of their thoughts. "You think that your best friend's boyfriend would hurt you either?" he asked. "No, of course not, but I don't decide how my body reacts, Gerald!" Helga answered, getting tired of his endless complaining. She felt like getting angry, but caught herself not able to. Not truly at least. _What's the matter with me?_ She thought as she chewed at her lower lip. "It just happens. If it makes you feel any better, then even Brainy freaks me out a little."

"Brainy's always freaked you out, Helga." Arnold stated simply. "Yes, but… not this way." Helga replied as she nudged her foot into an invisible hole in the ground. "Harold's also still acting really weird." She added with an uncomfortable grin. "He still blames himself?" Phoebe asked which Helga nodded at in response. "Yeah… I've tried talking to him several times, but he seems pretty stubborn… and Patty's mad at me for letting him feel responsible it seems."

"What? But that's ever so unfair!" Lila bellowed. "Yeah, but the girl's got quite the temper; what you gotta do? I tried talking to the both of them, but Harold keeps blaming himself and while Patty does feel bad for me, she mostly wants Harold to realize it wasn't his fault. Just like I want him to realize that too." Helga explained and gave a small shrug as she crossed her arms. "What happened that night was my fault alone; I shouldn't have…"

Helga didn't seem to want to finish her sentence for some reason, and the others settled with trying to figure out that ending to that sentence on their own. 'I shouldn't have gone on my own', 'I shouldn't have provoked him' and 'I shouldn't have told anyone about it' seemed to be the sentences, they feared was what she would have said. They didn't dare trying to question her about it though; they dreaded the answer far too much.

"Well! Anyways, let's get inside again. I hope this day will be over soon so I can take a shower and put on some fresh… Oh, wait, I need to go to Mrs. Vitello straight after school." Helga suddenly remembered and groaned at the way back of her throat. "No need." Arnold chimed in. "I can go tell her the situation and work in your place until you come back."

"Really?" Helga asked. Arnold nodded. She sighed in relief and stepped closer to him. "Thank you… you buttinski." She said before flicking his hat off his head and turned around with a grin. Arnold chuckled as he grabbed his hat from the ground and smiled warmly at her. She stuck her tongue out at him as she walked backwards. "Let's head inside already. Megamind's freezing!" she said. "And so is its mommy." Gerald pointed out while he and Arnold walked after the girls. Helga gave him a sideways glare, but he simply put his hands up in mock defense. "Hey, you said that the forbidden word was 'mom'; you said nothing about mommy."

* * *

"Arnold!"

The boy, whose name had just been called, looked up from the bouquet of flowers he had been about to place in a bucket of water out in the shop-part of the flower shop. "Helga!" he answered with a smile when he saw the blonde girl jog inside the room. She was panting heavily, having obviously run all the way from Lila's house to Vitello Flowers.

Arnold eyed Helga's new clothes for a second. She had her coat in her arm, having ripped it off her body on the way to be able to start working as soon as she got there. On her legs were a pair of light blue jeans and on her upper body, a white turtleneck blouse, obviously warm against the cold weather. He wasn't sure why, but it suited her endlessly and he felt his heart leap for a short second.

Helga lifted her head and smiled at Arnold. "Thanks for… covering for me." She said tiredly and arched her back, exposing very little of her stomach in the process. Arnold noticed instantly and looked away. "Uh… you're welcome, but… seems like Lila's blouse is too small for you, huh?" he observed shyly. She looked down at herself and pulled the blouse down a bit. "Uh, yeah, s-since… Lila's chest is a little smaller, so…" she answered, but then coughed in discomfort and went towards the back of the shop.

_She's saying that as if I didn't know already._ Arnold admitted in his head. He wasn't a boy who objectified girls and he _definitely_ didn't catch glimpses whenever he got the chance or anything like that, but being a boy, who talks with other boys, it was unavoidable for him not to hear the other boys' opinions about the girls. He remembered a very embarrassing discussion he had been exposed to once where the big topic had been if Lila's small chest was charming along her personality, while Helga's big 'knockers' made her more intimidating… or something like that. He had tried to block the conversation out of his mind, but the words had been carved into his mind, especially after the boys had asked _his_ opinion. He never managed to answer; he had been far too flustered. He had just hit puberty, for heaven's sake, he wasn't _nearly_ in that stage yet back then. Not that he was now.

It had gone worse when Arnold started dating Gloria back in the very beginning of puberty. When 'Arnold, the shy guy' _finally_ got a girlfriend, he and Gloria became the big topic. The boys wouldn't leave him alone and asked him all sorts of private questions. He always dismissed them, not only because he didn't want to talk about things like that, but also because he never went far enough with Gloria to satisfy his hormone-filled friends.

Gloria was this sweet girl he had known of through his childhood, but had never truly met or anything. After one of Rhonda's parties, he had gotten to know her and started dating her later on. Their relationship had lasted for about a half year, which was pretty well done for a first relationship at that frail age. It had been his longest relationship for now. It was almost as if he kept falling for the wrong girls. Gloria had something he really liked, though he never was able to put his finger on it, no matter how hard he tried or how many times she asked. They had broken up on good terms, both of them realizing that while they did get along greatly, they were more like friends were than lovers. After that, his endless stream with bad luck around girls had come back. He seemed to fall for girls who only used him for his kindness… and he never realized until it was too late.

Arnold frowned at the turn his thoughts had taken. He gave a sigh, reminding himself once again why he hadn't dated since he turned fifteen and finally placed the bouquet in the bucket of water. "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Vitello. I promise I'm back and ready to work now." He heard Helga say from the back of the shop. When he turned around, she and Mrs. Vitello were on their way inside. "That's good. That means you can go home now, Arnold." The elder woman said with a gentle smile.

"You sure you're gonna be ok, Helga?" Arnold asked as he walked past her and grabbed his coat. "Yeah. Again, thanks for covering for me." She answered with a grateful smile. "Anytime. Call me if you need anything, ok?" he requested as he wrapped his coat around his body. Helga rolled her eyes, but nodded in relinquishment. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, go home! I've got work to do." She pointed out before disappearing in the back of the shop.

Arnold chuckled and he noticed that so did Mrs. Vitello. "She's really something, isn't she?" she asked with a somehow knowing smile. Arnold's eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion, but he simply nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's… something." He answered with yet another chuckle. "I've noticed that you always seem to come to her rescue." The elder woman inquired, almost sounding unnecessarily innocent. "Uh…" he muttered and started to scratch his neck. "Yeah, I guess… so."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Mrs. Vitello asked with a not so innocent smile this time. Arnold could feel his heart stop at the question. "Wha-What's with the third degree, Mrs. Vitello?" he asked with an anxious chuckle. She shrugged. "A-Anyways. I need to head home. Goodbye." He added before practically jogging out of the shop, totally missing the smirk on Mrs. Vitello's face as he did so.

While Arnold went on his way home, he couldn't forget the odd look on Mrs. Vitello's face when she asked him about Helga… or her reaction when she had seen him running into the shop, telling her that he'd cover for Helga until she arrived. It was as if she knew exactly why he was there, and that she knew that he didn't know why himself. Well, yes, he knew he cared for Helga and wanted her to be safe… He just couldn't figure out why it seemed there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

* * *

When Arnold got home, his grandpa called for him from inside the living room. "There's a letter from your parents, Shortman!" he yelled. Arnold's face lit right up and he pulled his coat off violently, snuck his feet out of the shoes and ran into the room. "Give me!" he begged like a child at Christmas. Phil held the letter up for him to grab and while he ran towards the couch, he grabbed the letter before throwing himself on it. He opened it eagerly and started to read.

As Arnold read the update about the disease in San Lorenzo, how his parents were doing and so on, he started to feel his worries melt away… slightly. His heart did warm up quite a lot though just from hearing from them. It at least meant they weren't dead, captured or… anything worse; if such a thing existed.

Arnold placed the letter at his heart and leaned back in the couch. He knew it would still take quite the time before he would see his parents again, but just knowing that they were alive and well gave him quite the peace of mind. "They doing well, Shortman?" Phil asked with a smile. "You have a letter of your own, so you know the answer already." Arnold observed as he eyed the letter in Phil's hand. "What letter?" the older man asked innocently and hid the letter behind his back.

Arnold chuckled as he sat up. He looked the letter over once again and caressed it lovingly. The smile on his lips didn't take long to fade though as the memories of where Helga would soon be going to spend the night came back to his mind. "Not even a letter from your parents can take your mind off Helga, huh?" Phil observed with a lopsided grin. Arnold looked up from the letter. "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh, _yeah_…" Phil answered with a singsong tone to his voice before chuckling. Arnold rolled his eyes and leaned back in the couch again, pulling his sock-clad feet onto the seat. "It seems like I'm even more of a worrywart around her." He stated. "Oh, so you're starting to realize?" Phil asked as he winked at his grandson. "Realize what?" Arnold asked, but the very knowing smile on his grandpa's face, made him roll his eyes in realization. "I'm not in love with Helga!"

"You sure seem like you are, Shortman." Phil observed. "Why?" Arnold finally asked, not sure if he truly wanted to hear the answer. "Well, first of all you worry more about Helga than your parents lately. Since two months ago, you haven't asked about them or been checking the mailbox as often." Phil answered. Arnold's eyes widened. "Seriously?" he asked in slight horror. He felt awful about clearly forgetting his parents during this time, but he couldn't let himself feel truly guilty. He couldn't help his parents, but he could help Helga. That was… That was the only reason. It had to be.

"So I've been more focused on Helga… How could I not? Her life is slowly falling apart; am I supposed to just leave her alone?" Arnold asked in defense. "Of course not! But with the way things are going now, I wouldn't be surprised if you invited her to move in with us in the boarding house tomorrow." Phil asked with a toothless grin. Arnold cocked his head to the side. "Why tomorrow?" he asked. "See; another proof of you forgetting everything that doesn't have something to do with Helga." Phil stated with the never-leaving grin. "It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, Shortman!"

Arnold blinked a couple of times, and then smacked his forehead loudly. "I forgot Thanksgiving!" he declared in slight horror, but smiled at his own denseness. "You've never forgotten Thanksgiving before. You never forget stuff like that." Phil observed with a lopsided grin. "A lot of things have just been on my mind." Arnold answered with a shrug, standing up from the couch. "Helga is _one_ person; not _a lot of things_." Phil corrected as his grandson walked past him and out of the room.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he looked at the letter in his hand. _I can't believe I actually forgot about my parents for almost two months… Am I really that worried about Helga? And why do both Mrs. Vitello and grandpa seem to think that there's more between Helga and me?_ He thought and finally stopped in front of his room with a pensive look on his face. _Why does it feel like everyone knows something I don't?_

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Yeah, I made an 'Oliver and company' reference, damn it, what'cha gonna do? Sue me?! xD I like that song… I really do; when my mom and I had financial trouble, I told her this was our song. We never ended up on the street or anything, it wasn't nearly as bad, but we both felt pretty bummed because of the lack of money :P**


	15. Move in with me

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** After having confessed her situation to Gerald, Phoebe and Lila as well, Helga also suddenly realized that when she'd get a child, she'd become a mom. It should have been a redundant fact, but it had obviously not quite hit her yet since she had to sit down to avoid fainting.**_

_**Helga managed to get cleaned up at Lila's house and borrow some clothes from her so she could finally get back to work at Vitello Flowers. After Arnold had covered for her, he noticed how both Mrs. Vitello and his grandpa seemed to be thinking the same thing; that he was in love with Helga. Arnold still insisted that he wasn't, though he definitely couldn't come up with a reason why he had even forgotten about the very closely approaching Thanksgiving.**_

**Author's 1st note: Sorry it took so long… I ended up having this fever/headache/cold/sore throat for… a week. And I didn't even feel fully cured by Monday either. Merry freaking Christmas to me! xD Oh, well, other bad news; the Christmas one-shot probably won't be finished. This illness streak (or whatever one should call it) did quite a number on me, and I wanted it to at least be uploaded before Christmas was freaking finished and now I can't, so I lost the motivation for it :( I don't know what to do with it now though, since it was already 10.000 words, but not finished… Can I upload what I have and upload the next part next year? xD**

**[As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 15: "Move in with me"

"Thanksgiving." Mrs. Jackson said dreamily. "The time to feel thankful for what you have, for your family, your friends and the good fortune in the world."

_Bogus._ Helga thought with a sigh as she rubbed her stomach a bit. She was wearing a sad smile on her face, as Mrs. Jackson continued to rant on and on about how much she adored Thanksgiving, and reminding Helga more and more of why she always felt so alone during this particular holiday. She had felt alone with her family; usually being the one cast aside. Even if there were times when they remembered her and let her be a part of the whole thing and have some attention, she was usually forgotten. Both as a child and a teen.

This year though, they wouldn't get a chance to ignore her, since… since she wasn't going to be there anyway. It wasn't like Helga would ever try to sneak in and ask for permission to spend Thanksgiving with them, no way, she was done with that _family_ of hers. Her father kicked her out, her mother had done nothing to stop him and her sister… well, she didn't know yet. Honestly, Helga was curious to see how Olga would react to this whole thing. She couldn't truly figure it out, but she'd be home for Thanksgiving and would probably ask where her 'favorite helper' was.

_Well, Megamind, I'm glad this isn't really your first Thanksgiving. You're not born yet, so it doesn't count… I hope._ Helga thought with a sigh just before the bell rang. With a smile, she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. While she did that and was on her way out, she could feel Arnold's eyes following her, so when she also felt him slightly tapping her shoulder, she wasn't surprised. When they were out in the hallway, she turned around to greet him. "Happy Thanksgiving, Arnold."

"Uh, thanks, Helga, you too… What's your plans for today?" Arnold asked a little awkwardly. Helga cocked an eyebrow at his odd behavior, but decided to dismiss it. For now. "Oh, same as last Thanksgiving, you know." She answered with a shrug. He stared at her in surprise. "R-Really?" he asked curiously. She gave a seething smile. "Yeah. Wander around the streets, cursing that I don't have a proper family to spend Thanksgiving with. I do that every year, remember?"

Yeah, Arnold remembered that. He had spent half of his Thanksgiving with her back in fourth grade. She had been having a bad Thanksgiving because of her dysfunctional family, and Arnold had been having a bad Thanksgiving for somewhat the same reason… His grandma tended to switch the holidays around, so when it was Thanksgiving, she believed it was the Fourth of July. As he got older, he started to enjoy this twisted way of doing things, but as a child, he hated it.

"Helga…" Arnold scolded slightly at Helga's pessimism. "Hey, just realized something; I'm kinda like the Thanksgiving version of the little match girl, aren't I?" Helga asked with a chuckle. "Helga!" he scolded once again a little louder. She flinched at his sudden harsh tone and he regretted it instantly, when he saw her do that. "S-Sorry, Helga." He apologized. "Yeah, what gives? You don't randomly yell at people with Megaminds, you know." She pointed out, mostly as a joke, but decided consciously to not make that fact clear.

Arnold couldn't help but make an odd face at Helga's 'Megamind' comment. It had just sounded so… weird. "What are you grimacing at?" Helga asked with a smiling frown. At this point, Arnold's shoulders were shaking as he tried to stifle some laughter. "N-Nothing. It's just… I imagined you walking around and carrying an actual Megamind when you said that, so…" He explained. She seemed to try to imagine it for a second and then started laughing herself, thereby allowing Arnold to do the same.

"What are you two laughing at?" Phoebe asked, appearing in the hallway with Gerald holding her hand. "Can't be explained." The two blondes replied together, because they weren't really sure why. "Oh, let them have their inside joke, babe." Gerald said before kissing her temple. Arnold and Helga stifled their laughter and smiled a little secretively at each other, simply to tease Phoebe and Gerald about the so-called 'inside joke'.

"What are you gonna do about Thanksgiving, Pataki?" Gerald asked. "What is there to do? I'll try to find some food that at least resembles something you eat on Thanksgiving, eat it in the treehouse and try not to kill myself." Helga answered. Arnold frowned, but she patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's a joke. I'm not suicidal." She soothed. "Thanksgiving never meant that much to me to begin with. Why should this year be any different?"

Arnold was still frowning though, but it was mostly because of her 'suicidal' comment. He had to wonder… had Helga been suicidal at some point through this? She probably had. Most girls probably… at least at some point, but… the mere thought was like a knife cutting his stomach open. It hurt so much to think about it. What if Helga had really tried to…? If she had succeeded? Arnold felt himself get dizzy at the idea and before he realized it, he had grabbed Gerald's shoulder to steady himself.

Gerald looked at his best friend in surprise, about to ask what the sudden friendliness was all about, when he noticed the very pale look on his face. "Arnold, what's wrong?" he asked and grabbed his friend's shoulder to keep him steady. "Arnold?" Helga and Phoebe asked worriedly as well. "No…" Arnold started and looked at Helga, whose eyes widened at the odd look he was giving her. "No suicide jokes."

Helga blinked a couple of times. "Wait… that's why you feel bad now? It was a joke, I swear! I-If I was planning something like that, I would have done so a million years ago. Don't worry!" she said, trying to sound soothing, but she also felt something weird inside of her stomach grow at this obvious worry for her well-being. Arnold knew that she was trying to reassure him, but somehow it didn't truly help. His mind told him she wouldn't do something like that, especially not with Megamind and everything, but he couldn't remove the uneasiness in his heart anyhow. _I think… I think grandpa is right… I have to invite her to the boarding house for Thanksgiving or else I'm gonna end up spending it with her in Mighty Pete or something._

"So, Helga, speaking of Thanksgiving; I was actually hoping you would like to join me and my family this year?" Phoebe asked kindly with hope in her eyes. "Thanks, Phoebs, but no thanks. I don't want to impose." Helga answered, eyeing Arnold as she answered. Gerald got him standing up properly and Arnold thanked him for it. "It wouldn't be an imposition at all, Helga, I already asked my mom and she would love for you to join us." Phoebe answered. "Still…" Helga muttered and started walking through the hallway with her friends. "I wouldn't feel good about it. I know how much you've been looking forward to spend Thanksgiving with your parents this year, so I will have to say no to your offer. Thanks for asking though."

"How about my house then?" Gerald suggested. They all cocked a curious eyebrow at that. "_Your_ house?" Helga asked in slight disbelief. "Yeah. They're always so noisy and annoying; I'm thinking a guest they haven't seen before will make them act less like animals." He explained. "I knew there was an ulterior motive." Helga observed with a chuckle. "Actually, the real ulterior motive is Timberly. You could babysit her a little; even just having her out of the way would make it all calmer." Gerald explained. Helga stopped walking when they got outside and eyed Gerald skeptically. "Timberly is thirteen years old."

"It'll be good practice for Megamind." Gerald pointed out. "She's a teenager!" Helga argued. "Practice for a teen Megamind." He argued back, but the shake of her head told him that Helga wasn't buying it. "Damn." He muttered in relinquishment, earning a laugh from his group. "Anyway; happy Thanksgiving, you three, I need to get to Vitello Flowers. See you tomorrow!" Helga said before running off, almost as if running away.

"Wait, Helga!" Arnold called, but she had already turned the corner and was out of hearing range. He sighed in annoyance and started rubbing the back of his head. "You were gonna invite her too?" Gerald asked. Arnold sighed again and nodded. "No surprise there." Gerald observed as he nodded thoughtfully. "No?" Arnold inquired and turned to look at him. "No! After everything you've already done for her, I'm surprised you haven't invited her to stay over before." Gerald answered.

"I_ did_ invite her. She just said no." Arnold explained. "Oh, you bold kid." Gerald said in amusement with a shake of his head. "Then why were you about to ask her again?"

"Huh?"

"Haven't you already asked Helga if she wanted to join you for Thanksgiving?"

"No… I had forgotten about Thanksgiving honestly."

"You forgot?!" both Gerald and Phoebe exclaimed in surprise. "Arnold, it's not like you to forget such things." Phoebe observed. "Yeah, I know, but grandpa was the one to have to remind me _yesterday_. I had forgotten about my parents as well. Forgot to ask about letters anyway." Arnold explained with a guilty sigh. "This whole Helga and Megamind thing sure is on your mind a lot, huh?" Gerald asked curiously. "Yeah… Yeah, they are." Arnold admitted. "I'm really worried about her."

"Hey, buddy, she'll be ok. She's Helga G. Pataki; the strongest girl we know. I mean, look at her! Would you have expected her to be this energetic a month ago?" Gerald asked. "She's not energetic, Gerald, she's trying to be strong." Arnold pointed out as he turned around. "The only reason why she isn't down in the dumps anymore is because she's so focused on Megamind. That's what's keeping her alive; focusing on something else besides her misery." Phoebe added, given a heavy nod for her words by Arnold.

"When did you two become such pessimists?" Gerald asked as he gestured to his girlfriend and best friend. "We're not pessimists; we're realists." Phoebe argued, looking towards Arnold as she did so. He nodded. "Yeah… realists." He agreed with a dark chuckle. "That's not a label I like having on me."

"You're more of a Mr. Brightside kind of guy, that's why." Gerald argued with a frown. Seeing his best friend this upset about the whole Helga deal was starting to worry him… and make him curious. Why _was_ Arnold this worried? It didn't seem like Arnold knew himself either. "When did I stop being that?" Arnold wondered aloud, breaking Gerald's train of thoughts. "You haven't stopped, Arnold, it's just a little… difficult to be looking at the bright side these days." Phoebe answered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Arnold smiled for a moment, but it quickly clouded over. "What if Helga's situation doesn't change?" he dared to wonder aloud. He had been thinking this for a while, but he had never dared to say it out loud until now. "What a horrible thought." Gerald observed. "Yes, but we have to think about this!" Arnold answered. "I mean… what if it doesn't? What if Helga doesn't find an apartment? What if she continues to live in Mighty Pete? I want that baby to have a chance in life! To have a proper crib, to be warm and safe; not born in a treehouse!"

"Hey! First of all; be glad that everyone's already gone to spend Thanksgiving with their families, because if they hadn't, you would have just ratted out Helga's secret." Gerald said a little angrily. Arnold's eyes widened and he looked around for a second to confirm that no one was indeed nearby. "Second of all that's not gonna happen." Gerald added. "How do you know?" Arnold asked, hoping for a decent answer since he himself was desperate for some sort of bright side in this. "There's still seven months for all that to be an issue; Helga's got plenty of time to figure this out." Gerald answered.

"I concur." Phoebe said with a small smile. "Besides, a lot of things can happen in seven months. I have a feeling she's not gonna stay in that treehouse for long." She added. "See? Even Phoebe thinks so and she's way smarter than me. If you won't trust me, at least trust her." Gerald begged, causing Arnold to chuckle. "All right, all right, I get it. I'm the big pessimist right now, it seems…" He muttered. _That's not a label I'm used to wearing._

"Now, go home to your extended family and celebrate Thanksgiving. If Helga shows up at either of our houses, we'll give you a call, ok?" Gerald suggested and started pushing at his shorter friend. "Got it, got it! Mr. Worrywart will go home now. Happy Thanksgiving, you two." Arnold answered and gave a short wave before walking in the other direction. "Arnold… that's not the way to the boarding house!" Gerald pointed out. "I, uh…" Arnold muttered, turned around and started walking backwards. "I have some, uh… business to take care of first." He answered, turned around again and started jogging down the street.

"Ten bucks his _business_ is at Vitello Flowers." Gerald said with an amused expression on his face. "I'm not taking that bet." Phoebe answered with a smile. "You'd win if I did."

* * *

"Happy Thanksgiving." Helga said with a smile as she finished dealing with yet another costumer. As soon as the person was out of the door, she slumped a little over the desk. "I can't believe people are buying flowers on Thanksgiving." She muttered in slight disbelief. "There are a lot of families who forget about flowers for Thanksgiving; you'd be surprised, Helga." Mrs. Vitello replied. "Oh, that's just sad." Helga answered with a grin before laughing with the older woman.

"You can go home now, Helga, I'm going to close the shop soon and head home myself." Mrs. Vitello said. "Oh, uh, you don't want me to stay and help with closing it?" Helga asked. Her boss was obviously about to dismiss the idea, but when she saw the somehow hopeful look on the blonde girl's face, she smiled. "Well, all right, dear, if you insist." She answered. Helga practically felt like bouncing, a very out-of-character thing to do for her – especially since she refused to bounce because of Megamind, and went to grab a bucket with a bouquet in it. She could hear Mrs. Vitello chuckle as she went out in the back.

"Knock-knock. Still open?"

"Welcome to Vitello - - Arnold?" Helga asked in absolute surprise, holding the bucket close to her stomach as she did so. "Hi, Helga. Want me to help you with that?" he asked, mostly to stall himself from what he was planning to ask her. Helga seemed to be able to see straight through him though and he gulped at her knowing look. "I can handle _one_ bucket on my own, Arnold." She answered as she started walking with it, knowing full well that Arnold was following her. "I don't think you came here to offer your help with carrying the flowers."

"Uh… No, you caught me." Arnold admitted with an anxious chuckle. Helga placed the bucket on the floor and turned around to face him. "So, why _are_ you here?" she asked with a bit of warning in her voice. "Uh… I, uh… I was just wondering if you'd like to… come to the boarding house?" he asked as innocently as he could. "And do what?" Helga asked suspiciously. "Celebrate… Thanksgiving." He finally admitted.

"And what makes you think that even after saying no to both Phoebe, Gerald _and_ Lila, I'd say yes to you?" Helga asked as she crossed her arms. Arnold looked a little surprise at that; he had expected her to say no instantly, but… she hadn't. Not really - Not yet. "Lila asked too?" he decided to question instead. "Yeah, she called me while I was on my way over. Said something about she wanted to ask her dad about it first. He said yes, apparently. God knows why." Helga explained before walking past him to collect another bucket.

"And you said no to her too?" Arnold asked with a discouraged frown, though her saying no to Lila did make his own chance bigger. "Of course I did! And not just because of my pride. Lila and her dad can barely feed themselves; what kind of person would I be if I took even a little bit of their food? They practically live off of beans the whole years around; I'm not stealing their Thanksgiving dinner." Helga answered before walking past Arnold with the bucket in her arms.

Arnold couldn't help the somehow proud look on his face when he heard Helga say that. _She sure has changed in such short time… If it had been two months ago, she would've…_ He decided not to finish his though and simply continued to smile as Helga went back and forth. "Well, you won't have that problem at the boarding house; there's enough for everyone." He pointed out, trying to sound tempting as he did so.

"If I remember correctly, and I usually do when it comes to things like this…" Helga said, placing yet another bouquet of flowers in a bucket on the floor inside the greenhouse. "Then you told me in fourth grade that your Thanksgiving was more of a Fourth of July." She pointed out with a quirked eyebrow. "Uh… well, yeah, but it's still fun." Arnold pointed out. "I remember you saying something entirely different back in fourth grade when you ran _away_ from that Fourth of July themed Thanksgiving of yours and spent most of it with me." She argued before walking past him again.

_You and your stupid memory…_ Arnold thought with an impressed frown and turned around to look at Helga once again. "I grew to like it. Maybe you'd like it too? You wouldn't have to do anything, Helga, just join us." He said with hope in his voice. Helga grabbed yet another bucket with a bouquet in it in her arms, but this time she didn't start jogging past him instantly. Taking that as a good sign, he walked towards her and grabbed the same bucket. He had expected her to let go, but she just looked at him with big eyes. And speaking of those eyes, had they always been _that_ blue?

Helga sighed and let go of the bucket, letting Arnold carry it by himself. He could feel her eye him as he took the bucket out in the back and put it down. When he turned around, she was leaning against the wall and seemed to think deeply about something; that something was whether she would join him for Thanksgiving hopefully. He took a deep breath and walked towards her once again. "Please, Helga? You know me; I'm such a worrywart. Will you really let me ruin my own Thanksgiving by worrying about you?" he asked her, feeling a little guilty about his dirty trick.

Helga looked at Arnold in disbelief. "Low blow." She said in surprise, but she started smiling right after. She even gave a small, low chuckle. Arnold's smile just kept growing as she eyed him. She started chewing at her bottom lip pensively. Then, finally, as if having been waiting for a million years, Arnold heard her sigh. "Ok." She said simply. His ears perked right up. "Ok?" he repeated hopefully. "Ok, I'll go." She added with a smile. "I don't want to have _your_ Thanksgiving on my conscience. Besides, your Thanksgiving isn't a proper one to begin with; me crashing it probably won't make that big a difference."

Arnold's smile was brighter than the sun. "Thank you, Helga!" he said happily and, as if he was nine years old again, wrapped his arms around her without warning. He could feel her tense up and heard a gasp, but even that seemed familiar. When he hugged her as a child, she usually reacted this way as well. This time though, he wasn't sure if she was gasping for the same reason or if it was because of the recent events.

"Hey!" Helga said, seemingly snapping out of it. She lifted her hands and pushed Arnold away, though not too roughly, exactly as she usually did after a hug when they were kids. "No need to get all mushy on me. I'm just going to spend Thanksgiving at your house, not move in or anything. I'm doing this for Megamind as well; his or hers Thanksgiving shouldn't be spent in a cold treehouse." She said with something akin to her usual Pataki attitude. Not entirely though. Her voice seemed a little warmer than usual.

Arnold just kept smiling though. "Got it. When can we leave?" he asked eagerly. "I need to put these out in the back first." Helga answered, grabbing another bucket in her hands. "Then I _am_ helping." He announced as he grabbed a bucket himself. "Arnold, you don't have to - - " Helga said, but was interrupted by him almost promptly. "I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for Megamind. As little manual labor for you, the better." He interjected as he walked past her. She frowned a bit, but smiled as well. "Hey! I'm pregnant; not dysfunctional!"

* * *

It didn't take the two blondes long to finish closing the store. After wishing Mrs. Vitello a happy Thanksgiving, they went on their way to the boarding house. Feeling giddy from having convinced Helga to spend Thanksgiving with him and his extended family, Arnold was practically jogging all the way home, forcing Helga to do the same thing. Before any of them knew it, they were on the stoop to the boarding house.

"Sure took you long, Short - - Oh, Helga!" Phil said as he opened the door, noticing the blonde girl in front of him. "G-Good evening, Mr. Shortman…" Helga said awkwardly. He frowned at that. "You've always called me Phil. No need to get formal suddenly! I bet young Arnold invited you to spend Thanksgiving with us, eh?" he asked with a toothless grin. "Uh… y-yes." She answered, feeling rather awkward. "I-If it's a hassle then I can just - - "

"A hassle?!" Phil repeated in disbelief and blew a raspberry. Arnold felt like smacking his palm against his face at his grandpa's childish action and the way Helga seemed slightly shocked at it as well. "The more hands, the more we can get done!" Phil added, grabbed Helga's hand and started pulling her inside. She turned her head around to look questioningly at Arnold as she struggled to keep up with the ninety-year-old man. _Grandpa, if you scare Helga away now, I won't care if you're family; I will use my martial arts against you!_ He thought as he followed Helga and Phil inside.

"Hello, everyone, we've got a fresh set of hands to help us!" Phil said as he walked inside the living room. Helga seemed more than a little flustered while the other boarders greeted her halfheartedly as they were all busy with their chores. "Now, Helga." Phil said as he grabbed her shoulders gently and turned her to face him. She noticed Arnold standing behind him with a worried frown on his face. "What would you like to help with?"

Helga instantly looked towards Arnold who at the same time started gesturing with his hands. He waved his fingers around as his arms made a big circle. After thinking for a second, Helga realized what he meant. "Uh, fireworks!" she answered eagerly. Phil gave a big, knowing smile. "All right then! Arnold is in charge of those, so you two just mosey up on the roof and prepare 'em!" he said, gave her shoulders a couple of pats and then let go of her.

"Come on, Helga." Arnold begged with a smile and turned around. Helga followed him obediently. "_Do_ you even need help with the fireworks?" she asked with an eyebrow quirked. Knowing Arnold, who was the one behind all those cool gadgets in his room, he wouldn't need any technical support from Helga. He gave an awkward chuckle and started to scratch his neck. "Technically no, but… I figured you'd at least rather be around someone you know. Besides, the boarders wouldn't be scared of taking advantage of you."

"When have I ever let anyone take advantage of me?" Helga asked with a sarcastic smile. Arnold didn't answer. He continued walking, hoping, _begging_, that Helga wouldn't notice what she had just said. After opening the door to his room and turning around, he realized his prayer had been in vain. She was wearing a very forlorn expression on her face. When she noticed that he was looking at her, she sighed. "Forget I said that." she requested before walking into his room.

_I'll do my best._ Arnold answered inside his head and closed the door behind him. When he turned around once again, Helga was already on her way up to the roof through the small glass door in the skylight. He momentarily questioned inside his head why she seemed to know exactly how to do that, but followed her soon after. She stood on the roof with her hands shoved into her pockets as the wind grabbed her hair and coat. He watched her for a second as he closed the hatch. Her face was sad. So very sad, and he caught himself wishing that he knew how to help her.

Helga seemed to realize that she wasn't exactly wearing a mask, as she had grown accustomed to through her childhood, and gave an awkward smile in Arnold's direction. "T-Teach me how this works, Arnold, it seems really complicated for just… fireworks." She requested somehow halfheartedly. "Sure, Helga, but why?" Arnold asked as he approached her. She gave him an exasperated smile. "Just teach me." She requested once again and this time Arnold caught the hint. As he started to explain what he was doing with the fireworks as he did so, Helga did her best to listen and learn from him. Because listening to Arnold talking about the technique behind fireworks was without a doubt a million times better than hearing Tevin inside her head tell her over and over again how easy she was to take advantage of.

* * *

"How's it going up here, Shortman?"

Arnold turned around to face his grandpa, who had just approached him up on the roof. By then most boarders were already up there and it was time to begin the fireworks. "Really good. I think Helga's almost finished." Arnold answered with a proud smile and turned to look at Helga who was standing a few feet away, fumbling around with the fireworks. "You taught her how to work them?" Phil asked in slight surprise. "Uh, yeah, she… wanted to learn." He answered, knowing it wasn't fully true. Thanks to the fireworks though, the awkward atmosphere had disappeared instantly.

"Sergeant!" Gertie called in a serious voice. Helga flinched at the sound of older woman's voice. She turned around to face her. "Y-Yes, uh… Colonel?" she answered a little unsurely. "Are the cannons ready to be fired?" Gertie asked with her back arched to the point where she was as straight as a board. Helga frowned in confusion and turned to look at the fireworks. Remembering that Gertie was a little on the funny side, she smiled, turned to look at her once again and saluted. "Cannons are ready to go, colonel!" she answered before bumping her heels together. "Then let's fire them up!" Gertie said with a big smile and walked towards Helga.

Arnold chuckled at the conversation between his grandma and blonde friend. "Helga's pretty good with grandma." He observed with a big smile. "I have a feeling Helga's going to turn out just like Pookie." Phil stated with a toothless grin. Arnold turned his head to quirk an eyebrow at his grandpa. "Why do you think that?" he asked. Phil turned his head around to look at his grandson and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Oh, it's just the sixth sense of an old man, Arnold."

Arnold looked at Phil with childish wonder in his eyes. He didn't know why, couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something inside him made him believe his grandpa with all his heart. Curiously, he turned his head to look towards Gertie and Helga who were both laughing. Somehow, their laughs seemed to overlap each other and he wasn't sure which laugh came from who. He tilted his head a little to the side as he watched them give each other the same kind of smirk.

With a smile, Arnold let Phil's hand on his shoulder fall as he walked towards Gertie and Helga. Gertie noticed him instantly while Helga was busy lightning up the fireworks. Gertie gave a wink to her grandson before she walked away, standing next to Phil a few feet away. "That should do it, colonel." Helga said with a big grin, still not noticing that Gertie had been replaced with Arnold. "Good work, sergeant." Arnold said as he watched the sparks from the fireworks.

Helga gasped and turned to face Arnold. "Arnold! When did you get here? Where did Gertie go? What - - " she questioned until Arnold grabbed her hand. "Come on!" he said happily and started running away from the fireworks and unconsciously away from the rest of the boarders. Helga followed him in confusion until she heard the first loud bang from the fireworks. She gasped as she collided a little with Arnold's chest as he had stopped and turned around.

Helga turned around herself and looked up at the sky. "Whoa!" she exclaimed and gave the biggest smile Arnold had ever seen. The colors of the fireworks were reflecting on her face and gave her a certain glow that made Arnold's eyes widen. He didn't know this yet, but that image would be forever burned into his mind; the blooming fireworks in the sky along with Helga's big, beautiful smile as she watched them.

As Arnold's fingers twitched a little, he noticed how his right hand wasn't cold at all. He moved his head down to look towards it and noticed that he was still holding Helga's hand firmly, and more importantly… that she was letting him. Despite the cold, he could feel an unfamiliar warmth soar through him and the warmth did something to him he couldn't describe. As he looked up at her again, he could feel words appear in his throat that he had not yet realized he would say this evening or any other. "Helga… move in with me."

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: This **_**was**_** technically finished on the 24th… Silly me; I decided not to upload it since it was on Christmas Eve. I forgot that not the whole world celebrates Christmas Eve, but more the Christmas morning on the 25th xD Anyways, hope you had a lovely Christmas and that it was filled with laughter and joy! I made a Christmas-based Hey Arnold! Video that I uploaded yesterday to YouTube; if you go to my YouTube channel through my profile here, you can watch it :D It's called "Let it snow" / Hey Arnold!**


	16. Stalker much?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** As the evening of Thanksgiving approached, Helga seemed to feel more and more down in the dumps. It wasn't like Thanksgiving had ever meant that much to her, but knowing that her unborn child's first Thanksgiving would be spend in a treehouse did sadden her a little.**_

_**She didn't accept any of the invitations to spend Thanksgiving at anyone else's house though. At least not until Arnold came to pick her up from Vitello Flowers and invited her himself. How could she refuse Arnold after all?**_

_**Helga's Thanksgiving though had barely begun before Arnold decided to throw a rather suggestive question at her. One that could easily be misunderstood… and that he hadn't planned on asking.**_

**Author's 1st note: Look! I'm so fast! It's because I don't have school and nothing to tire me xD I guess I'm trying to write as much as possible before I have to start working at a nursing home after new years :3 I have a feeling I'm only gonna get busier after that, but I'm not sure yet xD**

**[As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 16: "Stalker much?"

"Helga… move in with me."

Helga had been positively beaming with happiness a second ago, but as always in her life, that happiness had only lasted a few seconds. That bright smile on her face disappeared instantly and she turned pale all over. She slowly, almost as if scared of being struck by lightning, turned her head to face Arnold. He was looking somehow dazed as if he hadn't heard his own question to her. "What?" she asked in a disbelieving whisper. She couldn't believe what she had just been asked or the way she had been asked!

Arnold shook his head a little bit as if forcing himself out of a trance. He felt his cheeks redden as he recalled what he had just asked _Helga Pataki_ of all people! Oh, and the misleading way he had asked it! "Uh, no! N-No, that's not what I meant! I mean, I, uh, what I mean is that… Would you like to move in _here_? In the boarding house; where I just happen to live." He explained with obvious panic in his voice. "I mean, you'd have your own room of course! A-And I hadn't even planned on asking! It just happened. I'm not sure where it came from, but… do you?"

"No! Of course not! Are you insane?" Helga asked in absolute disbelief. "Yes! Maybe I am." Arnold answered. That just confused Helga all the more. "What?" she questioned in incredulity. "M-Maybe I am insane. I mean, I hadn't even planned to ask you this. T-To offer you to move into the boarding house, but I am! A-And my way of asking was horrible, I'll admit that, but I'm… I'm following my gut here. I'm being spontaneous and I'm not very good at that, so your reaction is a little discouraging." Arnold explained.

"Oh, I am _so_ sorry that I'm not jumping up and down, happy about the fact that you just invited me to live with you out of the blue!" Helga answered angrily. "Ok, I admit that it's really sudden, but that doesn't make it any less sincere! It's not like you'd be freeloading either." Arnold pointed out. "I wouldn't? How so? I can't afford to live here, Arnold, even if it _is_ a boarding house!" Helga replied.

"With the money you'll earn at Vitello Flowers, you _would_ be able to pay the rent here, just so you know, since we won't ask you for money for the food. Besides, you can do some chores around if you feel really bad about living here."

"What chores?!"

"Like collecting rent with me, cleaning, cooking - - "

"I was being rhetorical!"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"You've known me for _how_ many years? And speaking of that, did you think I was going to be happy to be asked to leech of you and the other boarders?"

"You won't be a leech! I told you that you can pay rent and do chores if you want to."

"If I _want_ to is the golden word, Arnold, you're giving me special treatment!"

"Ok, pay rent and do chores; you don't have a choice."

"Oh, yes, I do! I'm not moving in."

"I…" Arnold said, but stopped himself. He did his best to collect enough air into his lungs to speak calmly at Helga since they had been screaming the last seconds. No one had seemed to notice yet, which was a surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't plan to ask you this. It was in the spur of the moment… but that doesn't make it less sincere. Please, Helga, _please_ move into the boarding house. Don't spend another night in that treehouse. Don't spend another night on the _streets_!"

Arnold waited for Helga to interrupt him, but she didn't. So he continued. "This isn't the same as if you were moving into Phoebe's, Gerald's or even Lila's house. You're not going to be sponging off on any of us. You're not gonna be a freeloader, and you're not going to be a guest… You're going to be an independent woman living in your own room. Do it for, not just Megamind, but for yourself. _This_ is independence, Helga, and being mature. Not risking your life living outside during winter because it's only going to get colder and colder from now on. Do the responsible thing and move into a warm room… If nothing else, do what you can to survive."

Helga didn't say anything, nor did she move or even twitch. Not until her lips went into two thin lines and her eyes started to brim a little bit. "This is why I didn't want to come here…" she muttered, causing Arnold to widen his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked. "It's always like this with you… I offer a finger and you try to take the whole hand." She stated rather simply. Too simply, perhaps.

Helga turned around to move away, but was stopped when Arnold squeezed her hand. She turned around and stared at their hands in disbelief. "Have we… Have we been holding hands this entire time?" she asked in surprise. He looked down at their hands as well. "I… I-I guess." He answered, surprised as well. "While fighting?" she inquired and looked at him. He nodded as he kept looking at their hands, wondering how he could possibly have forgotten to let go of her hand… and why he still didn't let go.

Helga was the one to take her hand away from Arnold's and his hand had never felt colder. "I need to digest this." She announced in a small voice, turned around and walked towards the skylight. Arnold wanted to stop her; he really did. He just didn't know what to say. Helga was also right; digesting seemed like a good plan. He needed to digest it as well. He had just invited Helga Pataki to move into the boarding house! He hadn't thought about it before-hand, hadn't gone through the pros and cons of having one of his classmates living as his neighbor, hadn't even thought of asking his grandpa first! And Megamind, would there even be room for him or her? _I'm a basket case. Plain and simple._ He stated in his mind as he watched Helga walking away.

Helga practically jumped onto Arnold's bed after closing the glass door behind her and stayed there with her knees pulled up to her chest. She didn't know what to think, what to feel or most importantly; what to do. Living in the boarding house was something she had to admit was a small dream of hers. Being in love with Arnold through most of her life, how could she not dream of living with him? If he had asked her, the same way or not, two months ago she would have calmly accepted, but been screaming on the inside in joy. The way she was now, not so much.

Helga was supposed to have a child; become a mother at the age of _eighteen._ That in itself was practically screaming 'irresponsibility', even if her situation wasn't getting drunk and getting knocked up by her boyfriend. It had been _rape_ and it had been awful and lead to this consequence, but she wasn't alone in her situation. A lot of women got pregnant from rape, a lot of them had abortions, but a lot of them also kept their children. She had searched for information about this particular situation through hours after deciding to keep the baby. Apparently, keeping the baby wasn't as uncommon as she had thought. What was uncommon though was _not_ knowing your rapist beforehand and being eighteen years old. She was the only teenager who hadn't been raped by a boyfriend, friend or family member that had become pregnant and chosen to keep the baby. In that sense, she felt a little alone. Not that she wished for any other girl in the world to be in her situation.

Helga had chosen to keep the child and while she didn't regret her decision – she did after all still have time to change her mind, not that she thought she ever would – she could still feel the weight of not just her own, but her child's life as well on her shoulders. She was _eighteen_ years old for crying out loud! Never had a job, barely done with high school and going to take care of a baby. She had felt a form of security in that small plan of hers; working at Vitello Flowers and finding a cheap apartment, but her search for an apartment remotely close to the school had been in total vain. Until now.

Helga _had_ actually come across Sunset Arms at 4040 Vine Street while searching for an apartment. The place was cheap, it was close to the school and room number 2 was available and ready to be taken over. The room right next to Arnold's, she had realized. It wasn't like living next to Arnold was such a big problem… Except for the fact that her whole body, mind and heart was fighting against her feelings for Arnold at this point. Everything was a mess; _she_ was a mess, and Arnold had already done so much for her. Could she really allow herself to move in next door to him? Knowing Arnold, he would constantly check up on her because he would worry about… whatever.

Helga liked being cared for. Of course, she did; it wasn't a feeling she was used to, so it scared her, but she appreciated it nevertheless… but a big part of her was also resisting the 'being cared for' because that part of her was screaming that she didn't deserve it. She had been cruel through the most of her life, been a pest to even her best friend and bullied the guy she was in love with. Now, after the whole Tevin thing, she had become the vulnerable little creature that people either bullied or felt bad for… and to be perfectly honest; she felt calmer around the people who bullied her.

_I'm a basket case!_ Helga thought with a sigh and let herself fall down on Arnold's bed. She opened her eyes and looked through the skylight. The sky was still filled with fireworks and she could hear them in the distance. She smiled, feeling somehow nostalgic, despite the nostalgia coming from a memory from only a moment ago. She lifted her hand and looked at it, imagining Arnold's fingers in-between her own. Could she really allow herself to move in here? It would definitely be an inconvenience to Arnold… wouldn't it?

* * *

"I screwed up, grandpa." Arnold declared after watching Helga jump into his room. He had just walked past the skylight and approached Phil who was now looking at him curiously. "Screwed up? How so, Shortman? Where's your blonde friend?" he asked, looking around. "In my room, cursing my name." Arnold answered, hoping he wasn't right. Phil looked at him in surprise. "What did you do?" he asked slightly accusingly in a singsong voice.

"I… I sorta, in the spur of the moment… asked her to move in here." Arnold explained, looking like a small child admitting to have stolen the last cookie. Phil blinked a couple of times and then started laughing in a booming voice. Arnold watched his grandpa in pure shock as the older man kept laughing. "Why-Why doesn't that surprise me?!" Phil asked as he held his stomach. "Oh, Arnold, you're a hoot!"

Arnold frowned. "This isn't funny, grandpa, it was hard enough to convince her to join us Thanksgiving! I just had to get greedy and hope for her to _move in_. I didn't even plan to offer her that; I just did." he said with discourage in his voice. "Oh, let me guess; you were looking at her and something with the way she was smiling at the fireworks made you just ask the question?" Phil asked. Arnold's eyes widened as he nodded. "Yes! How did you know?"

"I proposed to Pookie while watching fireworks as well." Phil said with a loving smile as he looked towards his wife who was dancing around to the music from the stereo. "You did?" Arnold asked in surprise, forgetting about what conversation had been about a second ago momentarily. "Yup! Didn't plan it, didn't even have a ring, but when I saw the fireworks reflect in your grandma's eyes, something inside me made me ask her… and here we are!" he answered happily and looked back at his grandson.

Arnold was smiling at his grandpa's story until he remembered why he was telling it. "B-But it's not like I proposed to Helga or anything." He said with slightly blushing cheeks. The mere thought made his heart pound. He was eighteen years old, for heaven's sake, and this was… _Helga._ "Oh, yeah? Tell me, Arnold, how did you invite Helga to stay here?" Phil asked with a toothless grin. Arnold felt the blushing grow. "I… asked her to move in with me - - Ok, ok, I get it! Bad way of phrasing it!" he exclaimed while his grandpa was laughing warmly. "She knows I didn't mean it like that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I explained her that. A little clumsily, maybe, but I did. Besides, there's nothing between us, so Helga wouldn't misunderstand something like that."

"Hmm… If she moves in here that might change." Phil mumbled thoughtfully with a knowing smile as he started walking away. "N-No, it won't!" Arnold insisted childishly despite feeling his heart pound in his ribcage. "Try to convince Helga to come up here, Shortman, we're about to eat now." Phil requested, ignoring his grandson's angry huffing at him as he walked away. Arnold sighed, turned around sharply and walked towards his skylight door.

What Arnold saw in his room made his heart jump into his throat and create a lump. Helga was currently lying on his bed on her side, holding her stomach and using her free arm as a pillow. He couldn't describe how he felt while watching a girl lying on _his_ bed. A girl he had just asked to move in with him. Somehow.

After taking a deep breath, Arnold lifted his fist gently to knock it on the window. The noise seemed to startle Helga since she practically threw herself up in a sitting position. She lifted her head and when she noticed him, she looked a little flustered at her own reaction. He offered her a lopsided smile and gestured for her to come up. She sat up on her knees, re-tied her coat and opened the skylight door.

"We're… We're going to eat now. Want to join us?" Arnold asked unsurely. Helga opened her mouth to speak, but her stomach growling beat her to it. She held it in embarrassment while Arnold did his best not to laugh. "C-Come on. Let's eat some hotdogs." He suggested and held the door for her. With an embarrassed frown, she walked onto the roof and let Arnold close the door behind her.

"I figured you'd rather not sit next to the other boarders?" Arnold asked, though he was a little unsure of his statement considering his former awkward question. "Uh, yeah, please let me sit between you and Gertie." Helga answered though, causing Arnold to smile a little. "Sure." He replied and gestured towards her chair. "Here." He said gently as he pulled it out. She looked at him in slight disbelief, but then offered a smile and sat down.

_Idiot._ Arnold called himself in his head, cursing his gentleman-manners at a time like _this_. _I should have let her sit down herself. As if the mood isn't awkward enough as it is._ He added as he sat down himself. To his surprise, Helga suddenly leaned towards him. "I thought this was supposed to be the Fourth of July?" she asked in a whisper while the other boarders sat down as well. "Uh, yes?" Arnold inquired, feeling the lump in his throat go bigger from having her this close to him all of a sudden. "Then why is there a turkey on the table?" she asked.

Arnold turned his eyes to look at the table, noticing the big turkey on the table. He chuckled. "Oh, right. We kinda mix both holidays together. It's hotdogs _and_ turkey." He explained and turned to face her again. "Please tell me there's something else besides meat?" Helga asked with a nervous smile. "Uh… corn on the cob with cranberry sauce?" he suggested. "Oh, ugh!" she answered, sticking out her tongue and starting to laugh right after. He couldn't help but join her instantly, deeply appreciating how calm she seemed to be despite everything.

"Corn with cranberry sauce anyone?" Gertie asked as she held the tray with said food in her hand. Helga gave a pale look in Arnold's direction. "I thought you were joking!" she whispered in disbelief. He shrugged innocently, but an elbow from her to his arm made him chuckle. "Corn on the cob, sergeant?" Gertie offered, holding the tray in front of Helga. "Uh… yes, please, if it can be without the cranberry source, colonel." She answered. "Of course! There's food for the picky ones as well." Gertie answered with a mocking laugh, grabbing a corncob with a tong and placing it on Helga's plate. "_Picky_?" Helga repeated in a low, disbelieving voice only for Arnold to hear and snicker at.

* * *

Helga had never really experienced a Thanksgiving like this. Everyone was so loud, so noisy and so… joyful. Everyone was talking to each other and even if there did seem to be a little bickering here and there, especially around this Mr. Kokoshka, it was obvious how they all cared for each other. She couldn't help but try to imagine what her life would be like if she lived with these people. Would every meal be this enjoyable?

"So, Helga." Ernie said before gulping down the drink in his hand. He earned the attention of everyone and not just the girl in question. "Yes?" she inquired. "I have to wonder, and don't misunderstand; I _really_ enjoy having you here, since you're just as rude as me." Ernie continued, earning a laugh from Helga. "I have to wonder… why are you not with your family?" he asked.

Arnold would have kicked Ernie on his knee if it wasn't because the man was too short to reach. _No! This was going so well!_ He thought in annoyance before turning to look at Helga, noticing how everyone was expecting her answer. She didn't seem sad nor uncomfortable, but she didn't look happy either. Arnold lifted his hand to his throat and waved it in a 'stop'-gesture. Ernie, noticing this, dropped his fork and knife to hold up his hands in mock defense. "I'm sorry; I was just curious!"

Helga frowned in confusion and turned her head around, noticing Arnold stopping waving his hand in front of his throat. She rolled her eyes before smacking his hand away. "It's ok. To be honest, I'm not sure what to answer though, except… except I don't really have a family to celebrate Thanksgiving with." She answered with a shrug. The boarders didn't know what to say to that, so they waited for someone else to say something.

"You're a Pataki though, aren't you?" Ernie dared to ask after a little while. "Uh, yeah." Helga answered. When Ernie grimaced at her answer, she frowned right back. "You've got something to say?" she asked. "No, not as such. More like… I don't particularly care for your father." Ernie answered with an apologetic shrug. "Oh, that's ok." Helga answered. "I don't really care for him either."

Helga's comment made the boarders laugh and both she and Arnold sighed in relief. "How _can_ you care for a man like that? I must say your mother is really something." Mr. Hyuhn said with his thick Vietnamese accent. "Oh, she's just a big old-fashioned loon." Helga explained so matter-of-factly that the boarders laughed again. "I mean how could she not be? Falling for the Beeper King." She added, earning another laugh.

"I remember the times I've met that Bob Pataki." Phil said with something akin to a bad form of nostalgia. "Like at Parents Day! Remember, Arnold?" he asked. Arnold gave a lop-sided smile, remembering how those particular days hadn't been all happy memories, and also that he never told Phil or Gertie about Bob's 'orphan'-comment. When he turned his eyes to look at Helga, he noticed how she definitely seemed to remember. She looked so guilty, so he just smiled at her. She smiled back softly.

"Oh, that man sure likes to win, eh, Helga?" Phil asked, nudging his elbow at Helga's upper arm. "Oh, yes, he does. That's the only reason he participated in that; to win the trophy." She answered with a smile, liking how she could be completely honest about how she felt about her father around these people since they didn't like him either. After the Megamind and kicking out incident, she had started to feel _bitterer_ towards her dad. She had deemed it impossible before all this.

"Thanks for the tip by the way. I never got around to thanking you for that afterwards." Phil said with a toothless grin. Helga felt her heart sink into her stomach at that reminder. She just hoped that Arnold wouldn't catch onto it. "U-Uh, you're welcome." She said in a small whisper, begging that Arnold didn't hear them. "What tip?" he asked though, wrecking Helga's hope.

"Oh! Helga told me that Bob had weak ankles." Phil explained, also wrecking Helga's hope. "Why did you do that, Helga?" Arnold asked curiously. She turned her head to look sideways at him. "Uh, because I… I didn't want to have to listen to Bob boast about winning that trophy for a whole month after. He's annoying enough when he loses, but when he wins; oh, boy!" she answered, happy with her explanation.

"But… when did you get to tell him?" Arnold asked, still curious. "Remember how he was hanging onto dear life with his knees over the jelly?" Helga asked. Arnold looked pensive for a second before nodding. "When I was supposed to check whether he was in the clear or not; that's when I told him about Bob's ankles. They were already loaded down to the max." Helga explained with a smile and a shrug.

"Oh, she's a cunning one!" Phil declared and started to rub Helga's head. "She and Gertie could be dangerous together, eh, Pookie?" he asked and gave a maniacally laugh. Helga gave a small chuckle as well when he finally let go of her head. She turned to look at Arnold, a little shy about the fact that he now knew of her momentary goodness towards him, even if she had come up with a likely excuse. "We could take over the world together, sergeant!" Gertie chimed in and lifted her arm in a victory pose. Helga and Arnold laughed along with the rest of the boarders.

"Oh!" Phil suddenly exclaimed, seeming to realize something. He turned to smile at Helga and Arnold could feel the mischief leaking form his grandpa. "I never got around to figure out how to thank you for giving me that tip." Phil said. "Oh, uh, you don't have to thank me. You knocking my dad into that jelly was more than enough reward." She answered, feeling the mischief from the older man as well. "Not good enough!" Phil declared. "I insist that you spend the night here and join us for Thanksgiving breakfast tomorrow!"

"Thanksgiving breakfast?" both Arnold and Helga repeated. "Yes! It's a new thing, Shortman, we were planning to surprise you, but if a little convincing is needed for your friend to stay over then I'm ready to use dirty tricks!" Phil replied with a toothless grin. "Dirty…" Helga muttered, then scowled deeply and turned her head slowly around to face Arnold. He put his hands up in defense promptly. "I have _nothing_ to do with this!"

"No, he doesn't, but the rest of us do." Phil said, grabbing Helga's shoulder and turning her around to face the other boarders. "We really enjoyed having you here for the Fourth of July, Helga, so we were hoping you would stay for a little while longer. There's always a lot of leftovers from our Thanksgiving slash Fourth of July dinner and we can't possibly eat it all on our own." Phil said temptingly. "Hey! We don't know that until we try." Oskar said greedily, earning an elbow from his wife. "Please do stay over, Helga." Suzie chimed in, seeming to catch onto what was going on. At least somehow.

At Suzie's invitation, the rest of the boarders chimed in. Being the only woman in the boarding house, Gertie being the exception, Suzie did have more power and more of a vote than anyone wanted to admit. She was a firm woman and usually no one dared to stand in her way. While everyone begged Helga to stay over, she felt an odd warmth within her. "Why do I feel like I'm under peer pressure here?" she asked sarcastically before waving her arms to silence the people around her. "Oh, all right. All right! You win! I'll stay over." She said before turning to face Arnold. "_Tonight._"

Arnold didn't care about Helga's addition; she had said yes to spend at least one night inside a warm bed and he couldn't help but smile at that fact. His smile must have been infectious, because slowly, almost carefully, Helga started to smile as well. _All right. So, you've won round one, Arnold… and you may win the war, but there's no reason to tell you that… Just yet._ She thought happily.

* * *

It had been a very, _very_ long time since Helga's stomach had felt this filled. She was currently lying on a newly made bed in room 2 in Sunset Arms, hoping for the slight stomachache to pass over soon. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the room. When was the last time this room had been used? It was a little dusty and the only real furniture in there was the bed; God knows why it was in there, but it was.

Helga had been about to stand up from the bed and take her clothes off – a luxury she hadn't been able to afford during the night for some time by now – when she heard a knock on her door. "Is that you, Arnold?" she asked, thinking who else it could possibly be. "Am I that predictable?" Arnold asked outside the door in slight discouragement. "You're not exactly a piñata of surprises, no. Come on in." Helga answered and sat up on her bed.

Arnold opened the door slowly and peeked inside. "Were you asleep?" he asked. Helga shook her head. "If I had been asleep and you had woken me up, you wouldn't have been able to ask that question." She explained. Arnold couldn't help but smile at Helga's threat. She seemed more and more like herself lately. He just hoped nothing would ruin that. "Ok, I get it. You still think I was somehow cunning enough to get my grandpa to invite you to stay over for tonight."

"No, I'm not mad and I don't think you did that either." Helga answered. "You don't?" Arnold asked. "No, you're not cunning enough. Not even close." She explained with a gleeful grin. He smiled at her as he approached. "You're really not mad? I'm sure grandpa didn't mean to trick you into staying here or anything. I just told him that I… screwed up and he took matters into his own hands it seems."

"Meh, it's ok." Helga answered as she waved her hand. "He was just helping his grandson. I get that. Well, in theory." She added. Arnold sighed happily despite her somehow cruel joke. "By the way, if you don't mind, then I'm sure my mom or grandma can borrow you something to wear for tomorrow. I know it's not exactly clothes for a young girl they're wearing, but with your creativity then maybe you can mix it up and find a decent outfit?" he suggested.

"Yeah, that'd… that'd be great, but… Stella's clothes? Wouldn't that be weird?" Helga asked, not entirely sure _why_ she thought it was weird. "I'm sure mom would be ok with it." Arnold answered with a shrug. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess so. Thanks. Oh, and… uh… Despite everything… thank you… for inviting me over for Thanksgiving… and for tricking me into staying here." Helga replied as she wriggled her eyebrows. Arnold sighed. "Helga, I seriously didn't mean to - - "

"I joke!" Helga announced, lifting her hands up in mock defense. Arnold smiled. "You seem in a good mood." He observed, hoping he wasn't overstepping his boundaries doing so. She looked surprised at his statement, but nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… I am in a pretty good mood. Tonight has been fun. The other boarders are fun. They're… like a family." She said in a slight daze. "You could have this much fun every night." Arnold pointed out, feeling a little brave. Helga gave him a slightly warning look though. "Hear me out, please." He begged. She crossed her arms. "What?"

"I was thinking… and it really is just a thought! Maybe tomorrow rather than leaving… then, you know, you could… _not_ leave." Arnold suggested softly. Helga blinked a couple of times. "What a weird way to ask me to stay." She observed, causing the boy to sigh. "Yeah, sorry." He admitted, causing her to sigh as well. "But… an offer worth considering." She stated with a smile. He perked right up at that. "Yeah?"

"Yeah… I overreacted before. You're just trying to help, along with Lila, Phoebe and Gerald… I just want to be independent; not rely on everyone else, but I don't seem to know how to do that just yet… but if I can't be independent, I can at least be responsible and the responsible thing _is_ to think of Megamind first rather than my stupid Pataki pride, so… I _might_ stay here. Maybe." Helga explained, frowning more and more the more Arnold smiled. "Wipe that smirk off your face!"

"Sorry." Arnold said, but his smile didn't disappear. Helga grabbed her pillow and threw it at him. He grabbed it as it flew towards him and he was still smiling as he held it. "Give me back my pillow!" Helga ordered, placing her feet on the floor. Arnold eyed the pillow in his hand. "Come and get it!" he challenged and shook the pillow teasingly. She looked at him in disbelief first, but then bolted right from her bed towards him.

"Give me that!" Helga said, beaming as she felt like a child again – something she missed terribly during this hard time in her life. "Never!" Arnold answered childishly as he ran past her. Using her hand to shield her from the wall, she used it also to turn around quickly and grabbing the pillow. Wrestling to keep ahold of it, Arnold spun them around until he felt his knees collide with the bed. With a gasp, he landed on the bed on his back, Helga falling over him. "Got it!" she said happily, grabbing the pillow from his hands.

Arnold smiled at Helga's proud smile while she hovered over him with the pillow in her hand. They kept smiling as they both struggled to start breathing regularly once again and their smile was slowly replaced with a more dazed gaze. At least until Helga rolled to the side and laid down next to Arnold on her back. "I-I shouldn't be running around like that. I'm pregnant, remember?" she said, hoping that a change of subject could make her heart slow down. "Uh, yeah… sorry. I forgot. I guess if you really move in here, I should start remembering that, huh?" Arnold observed, hoping for the same thing as her.

"Oh, man, you're just gonna start worrying ten times as much if I'm around you 24/7, aren't you?" Helga asked, starting to feel concern about this exact fact. Arnold, hearing her anxiety instantly, sat up on his shoulder to look down at her. "I already worry about you 24/7, Helga." He stated simply, not considering what he was saying beforehand once again that evening. Helga felt her cheeks heat up. "Y-You do?" she asked. Seeing her somehow blushed face, made him blush as well as he nodded.

"Yeah… Ho-Honestly, having you around might make me worry less since you'll be around so I can watch you." Arnold explained. "Oh, whoa, stalker much?" Helga asked with a chuckle. "I'm not good with words tonight." He stated clean and simple before turning around on his stomach and hiding his face in the pillow. "There, there." She soothed mockingly as she patted his back. "Now, get outta my bed! I'm tired and I want to sleep."

Arnold turned his face around to flash Helga a smile before getting out of the bed. "Sleep tight, Helga." He said as he walked towards the door. "Arnold, I've been sleeping on an old couch for the last couple of days and now I'm in a proper bed. _Not_ sleeping tight is not an option." She answered as she grabbed the duvet and snuggled inside of it. He chuckled at her motion, but then remembered something. "Uh, do you have anything to sleep in?"

Helga eyed Arnold suspiciously. "What are you getting at?" she asked. Arnold's face flushed instantly. "U-Uh, nothing! More like, the heat isn't fully on in here yet since we only turned it on an hour ago a-and it's cold outside, so maybe you'd like t-to borrow a shirt to sleep in or… whatever?" he asked. With a smile, Helga sat up in the bed again. "Are you gonna have nightmares about me sleeping without a shirt if I don't say yes?"

Arnold nodded heavily, causing Helga to laugh and for him to relax thanks to the tension falling. "Ok, ok, give me a shirt then, but hurry up!" she ordered. "Yes, sergeant." Arnold said with a salute before turning around and running out of the room. Helga shook her head in amusement. When would that boy ever stop being concerned for others? Oh, right, never, because that was just the way he was and always would be.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Merry Christmas! (It is at least still Christmas around here in Denmark xD 'Anden juledag' = Second Christmas day, the day after boxing day. Do Americans have Boxing Day or is that only England? xD)**


	17. I wonder if this is only the beginning?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** After a spur-in-the-moment question from Arnold to Helga, he was afraid that he had lost all chances of ever convincing her to move into the boarding house; a wish he hadn't realized he had.**_

_**After a lovely Thanksgiving/Fourth of July dinner though, Helga was convinced to at least stay for one night thanks to Phil. Arnold hoped that she would eventually fall in love with the charming Sunset Arms and would move in for good.**_

**Author's 1st note: I hope you all had a jolly good New Year's Eve! Anyone have any New Year's resolutions? XD**

**[As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 17: "I wonder if this is only the beginning?"

The continuous sound of his homemade clock woke Arnold up eventually. "Hey, Arnold! Hey Arnold, Hey - - " it said until he pulled out the plug in the potato. He arched his back, stretching out properly before swinging his legs out of the bed. He gave a big yawn before hearing a soft knock on his door. "Come on in, grandpa." He said, knowing beforehand that it was Phil at the door. The older man walked inside with a big grin. "Sleep tight, Shortman?"

Arnold smiled and nodded. "Oh, thank goodness, or else I would have sent a psychiatrist your way!" Phil exclaimed in relief. Arnold could feel himself blush a little bit. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about my insomnia…" He muttered. Arnold hadn't been sleeping very well for the past month. Insomnia was an exaggeration, but sleep had definitely been a luxury that was unaffordable ever since Megamind became a regular word in his everyday life.

"I would have figured out with those bags under your eyes in the morning. Good thing Pookie knew about that old trick to remove those, eh?" Phil asked, nudging his elbow at Arnold's upper arm. "Don't remind me…" He muttered with a small shudder before he got out of the bed. "How is Helga?" he asked. "I don't know, Shortman, she's still in bed." Phil answered. Arnold nodded in understanding. "I'll go wake her up."

"Oh, you just want to be the first thing she sees this morning, don't ya?" Phil asked teasingly, causing the blonde boy to blush as he walked out. _If Helga really moves in here… that kind of teasing will never stop._ He thought with a small sigh as he stopped before Helga's door. He eyed it for a couple of seconds before he smiled. _Oh, well._ He thought as he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

On the other side of the door, Helga started to stir beneath her duvet. The sound of a knock was slowly pulling her out of the first peaceful sleep she'd had in ages and whoever was pulling her out of it clearly had a death wish. When she heard three new knocks, Helga grunted under the duvet and stuck her head out after some rummaging around. She coughed, clearing her throat as she did so. "Who's there?" she asked as she eyed the room. Where in the world was she?

"Arnold. I came to wake you up." A male voice answered on the other side of the door. Helga instantly threw the duvet away from her body, exposing it to the cold air around her. "Arnold?!" she asked in surprise and moved one of her legs out of the bed to stand up. Doing so, she collided with the duvet and tripped onto the floor. It would have been face first, if her hands hadn't saved her from the fall.

The loud thud from inside the room, made Arnold's ears perk up. "Helga?" he asked worriedly before opening the door and walking inside. Helga, who was currently sitting on all fours on the floor, grunted and moved to sit up. "Ow!" she declared as she moved her hands to her head and rubbed it. Arnold's eyes widened and he was pretty sure it was too early in the morning to be feeling like _this_. Helga was sitting on her knees on the floor with her legs spread a little to the side, while rubbing her head and thereby exposing her thighs underneath that plaid shirt… _his_ plaid shirt.

"Are you ok?" Arnold forced himself to ask. "Yeah…" Helga muttered, letting her arms fall to her lap and looked around. "I've been getting so used to waking up in Mighty Pete that a proper room almost feels foreign." She added before her eyes went wide. She bent her neck instantly, looking down at her stomach as she held it in her hands. "This kinda fall wasn't violent enough to hurt Megamind, was it?"

At the mentioning of Megamind, Arnold shook his head to get out of whatever kind of trance he had been in and stepped forward. "Did you land directly on your stomach?" he asked, placing himself on his knees in front of her. "N-No, my hands stopped the fall." She answered, still rubbing on her stomach. "Then I think Megamind's just fine." He stated with a smile. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Really?" she asked. He gulped at the sight of her pleading look. He nodded gently. "Y-Yeah…"

Helga sighed in relief, incapable of noticing Arnold's odd behavior around her. She had been too worried about Megamind to worry about anything else. "Happy after Thanksgiving morning to you." she said as she placed her hands on her lap again. He gave a relieved sigh. "You too. What a morning. Did you at least sleep well until I disturbed you?" he asked. "Yes!" she answered exaggeratedly, causing him to chuckle at her eagerness. "I haven't slept that good since… oh, I don't even know."

"Good to hear. Maybe that means you'd be more willing to sleep there again…? Even if for just one more night?" Arnold asked temptingly. Helga eyed him and then gave him a smile. "Maybe." She answered in a singsong voice. "That depends…" She added cunningly. He smiled at her. "Depends on what?" he asked. She smiled as she offered him her hand. He eyed it curiously. "Help me up." She requested. "That's all?" he asked as he took her hand, feeling a small shiver going down his spine as he did so. "Naw, I just wanted to stand up on my feet already." She answered as they pulled each other up. "I've already decided to stay here."

Arnold's eyes widened and a bit of hope shined in them. "Stay here? Like really? Like _really_ stay here?" he asked. "Yeah, _like really stay here_, you four-word cockatoo!" Helga answered in amusement. Arnold was just beaming with happiness at this point. "Thank you, Helga!" he bellowed before swinging his arms around her entire body. She gasped at the sudden hug and let her arms stay hanging lazily down her body. "You-You're squishing Megamind, you sensitive fool!"

"Sorry." Arnold said before letting go of Helga, still wearing that big grin of his. Helga could feel her cheeks blush slightly, but the feeling was soon gone and overtaken by hunger. "Oh, my God. Please tell me you guys were serious about a Thanksgiving slash Fourth of July breakfast?" she asked, holding her stomach once again for another reason. Arnold kept smiling as he nodded. Helga frowned at him. "… Wipe that stupid smile off your face already!"

* * *

After a Thanksgiving/Fourth of July breakfast, Arnold and Helga were on their way to school together. It was a rather strange feeling to Arnold; walking to school with his childhood bully, present friend. Walking to school with anybody would probably have been a weird feeling, but for the first person he'd ever do that with to be Helga was a big surprise. He figured he'd get used to it soon though.

"This feels weird." Helga declared in a small mutter. Arnold looked at her in surprise. "I was thinking the same thing." He muttered back, causing her to look at him. "Yeah?" she inquired. "Yeah… I mean, Gerald have spent the night at the boarding house a couple of times, but it's always been on days where there was no school next morning, so…" he explained, feeling slightly awkward doing so. She nodded. "Yeah… it's the same with Phoebs and I… and I bet we haven't had nearly as many sleepovers as you two have."

"Really? But you're girls."

"Well, doi!" Helga answered with a small chuckle. "But I've never been into girly things, right? I've always been the tomboy in our class. I mean, do you remember when I was _not_ invited to Rhonda's sleepover because I wasn't feminine enough?"

"Yeah, I do and I remember you being just fine with that."

"Well, I didn't wanna spend my time doing my hair, nails and talking about boys! It did hurt not to be invited though." Helga admitted. "It hurt more to be cast away by the boys however."

Arnold's eyes widened as he remembered how he and the other boys had told Helga that since the girls were having a girls' day, the boys were having a boys' day and that meant she couldn't play baseball with them. "Sorry for not trying to convince them to let you play along back then."

Helga looked at Arnold in surprise. He looked apologetically back at her until she blew a raspberry at him; then he looked confused. "It wasn't your fault. I just never belonged with the girls _or_ the boys." She answered as she started to look forward again with a slightly hurt look in her eyes. It was true after all; she had never been a girl nor a boy social wise.

"The boys always loved playing sports with you though."

"Yeah, right! I always beat the crap outta them. Weren't they embarrassed?"

"That, but also impressed." Arnold answered. Helga turned to look skeptically at him. "You're kidding?" she inquired, but he shook his head. "Don't tell the boys that I told you this, but they always looked a little up to you… because you were one of the cooler girls after all. Girl and boy in one." He explained, causing Helga to let her mouth stay wide open. "I don't believe it." she declared before smiling. "The boys must be better actors than I thought; I always assumed they hated me."

"They always assumed you hated them too." Arnold pointed out, causing Helga to frown slightly. "I do." She said stubbornly.

"And yet you always played with us."

"I like bossing them around."

"Helga…"

"I like sports."

"Oh, come on!"

"But I do like both of those things!"

"Those are not the only reasons you played with us."

"What else could there possibly be?"

"Well, you _liking_ them."

"… Me liking to play, you mean."

"No." Arnold stated simply. Helga groaned in stubbornness, but sighed in relinquishment right after. "If I tell you that I don't hate them with every fiber of my being, will you leave it alone?" she asked. Arnold seemed to think about it for a second, mostly to tease her. "Don't make me play the pregnancy card." Helga said when she noticed his lack of corporation. "I'm not supposed to get upset."

"Oh, that's just mean!" Arnold announced in slight shock. "Have you _met_ me?" Helga asked in incredulity. Arnold made an annoyed huff as he let his cheeks grow and grow until there was so much air in them that Helga couldn't help but smack at both of them, earning a farting sound from him as the air was forced out of his mouth. "What did you do that for?" Arnold asked as he held his slightly pained cheeks. "You looked ridiculous!" Helga answered with a laugh.

"I'll make _you_ look ridiculous!" Arnold announced before grabbing her shoulders. "No!" Helga shrieked in shock with a big smile before turning around and running, or rather jogging. Thanks to her slow pace, Arnold caught up with her quickly and wrapped his arms around her. Helga laughed as he swung her around a little bit, wrestling with her as he did so. "Let go!" she bellowed happily as he snuck his nose into her neck and tickled her by doing so.

"Look at that." a male voice said, earning a bit of Helga and Arnold's attention. "Isn't that Pataki?" another male asked. The two blondes opened their eyes to look towards the three boys who were looking at them with either disgust or mockery. "Wasn't she supposed to have been raped?" the third boy asked, looking skeptically in Helga's direction. "And yet she's goofing around with a guy like it's not big deal. I'm starting to think she wasn't raped at all. She just wanted the attention!" one of the boys declared, earning a laugh from the others before they walked towards the school. "Fucking attention whore."

Arnold didn't know what to say. He was just in pure shock. Who were those guys? And why were they this unsatisfied with Helga finally feeling just a little bit comfortable? He barely recognized them from the school, but they definitely weren't in his class. He dared to turn his eyes to look at Helga, only to notice how her eyes seemed to have gone hollow. When she felt his eyes on her, she looked at him for a second before looking down at the ground again. "Well, now you have their faces." She announced.

Arnold frowned in confusion. Until he recalled Helga telling him about some freshmen who were making comments at her, then his eyes widened. "Are those the guys who…?" he asked, earning a nod from Helga instantly. "Yeah… this wasn't so bad though. They've said worse." She answered in a mutter, probably not for Arnold to hear, but he did so anyway. "We should report this to the principal." He declared, earning only a shake of her head from Helga. "But - - "

"But nothing. The principal probably agrees with them anyway." Helga interrupted. "He can't do that!" Arnold answered. "Let it go!" she said in a seething voice, earning a pair of big green eyes that stared at her in slight disbelief. "And, Arnold?" she asked. "Uh… yeah?" he inquired. "Could you let go of me already?" she asked. "Huh?" he muttered and looked down, noticing how his arms were still wrapped around Helga. "Oh, sorry!"

Arnold promptly let go of Helga, feeling slightly flustered at having not even noticed how he was still holding her. He looked at Helga, expecting her to either frown at him or perhaps look uncomfortable; all she did was readjust her coat though. _I'm never going to be able to figure Helga out. She never reacts as expected…_ He thought with a small sigh. "I'm sorry." He repeated, earning her attention. "Don't be." She answered simply before running her hand over her ponytail and placing it over her shoulder. "We should probably not walk together anymore though."

"Wait. What? No, Helga, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to - - "

"Not because of that, Arnold! But, think about it, if we come to school together like this, people will start wondering why, right?"

"I… guess."

"I don't want people to know that I'm carrying Megamind; you really think I'd want people to know that I was kicked out of my own home and now moved in with you? Well, moved into the same building, but still… I want to keep this a secret too, please."

"Sure. I get that. How about Phoebe, Gerald and Lila though?"

"They… can know. I mean, Gerald visits you too often not to see me at the boarding house at some point. Phoebe's my best friend, so I don't mind her knowing, and Lila… well, Lila will figure it out by herself anyway."

"How? If we don't tell her, how will she know?"

"Oh, she will. She found out about Megamind all on her own. She'll figure this out too. She's creepily observant." Helga answered and gave a mocking shudder with her shoulders. Arnold chuckled at the sight and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. So, what's the plan? you'll wait here and I'll arrive at school first?" he asked. Helga seemed pensive for a second before she nodded. "Yeah, I'll stay here for a couple of minutes. Don't mention the whole 'moving in together'-thing to the others before I do, ok? We'll talk to them during lunch break; they're gonna ask a lot of questions and make a lot of comments. I don't think that a regular recess has enough minutes in it for all that."

Arnold nodded in agreement, gave a small wave and turned around to leave. Helga waved at his back and then sighed. _I hadn't expected those freshmen to turn up like that while I was with Arnold… Great. I wonder if this will just make it worse? Oh, God, when those guys find out that I'm pregnant… Shit!_ She thought in slight panic, curled her hand into a fist and punched it against the wall. It hurt, but she could barely feel the pain. A feeling much stronger was distracting her from it; fear.

* * *

Almost as soon as Arnold arrived at the school, he could hear Gerald's voice. When he looked up, he noticed his taller friend standing with his girlfriend and Lila next to each of his sides. Arnold smiled and put his arm up in the air to wave his hand. "Hey, man, how was your Thanksgiving?" Gerald asked with a smile. Arnold couldn't help the happy grin that appeared on his face. "It was… pretty good." He answered with an agreeing nod. Gerald seemed suspicious right away. "Did something good happen?"

"You could say that." Arnold asked, trying to conceal his grin, but it wasn't going so well. "Well, what was it?" Gerald asked just before Lila gasped. They turned to look at her, as her smile grew bigger. "Could it be that you spent it with Helga?" she asked as she intertwined her fingers hopefully. Arnold could have fallen backwards if he wasn't too shocked to move. _Helga's right; Lila is way too observant!_

"Wait, is that true?" Phoebe asked with big eyes, barely hidden behind her glasses. "Uh…" Arnold muttered as he started scratching his neck nervously. _This was supposed to be a secret until lunch. Can't believe I already ruined it._ He thought in embarrassment. "Hey, man, not cool!" Gerald suddenly exclaimed, making Arnold look at him in surprise. "We told you we'd call you if Helga came to us; why didn't you do the same?"

Arnold's eyes widened. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I-I didn't even think about telling you guys." He answered honestly, noticing how Phoebe took off her glasses and started rubbing the area between her eyebrows. "I've been worried for nothing…" She muttered with a sigh. Gerald kept scowling a little at Arnold, but then sighed as well. "Dense moron." He muttered, but then smiled. "Did she have a good time?"

"Yeah, I really think she did… I-I'm sorry, Phoebe, I really didn't think about telling you guys." Arnold said worriedly. The Asian girl smiled at him with a nod and put her glasses back on. "It's all right, Arnold. I hope it at least means that you were entertaining Helga through the night?" she asked. At that particular question, he felt his insides turn and his cheeks blushed slightly. Helga _had_ after all spent the night at his place – not to his friends' knowledge though – and Phoebe's question had sounded rather… suggestive. The image of Helga on his bed didn't make it any better.

"U-Uh, y-yeah, I did. Uh…" Arnold answered and coughed awkwardly in his hand. Gerald's eyes widened instantly. He had only, _only_, seen this particular reaction from Arnold once in his life… and that was back when the boys started questioning the more intimate part of his and Gloria's relationship. There hadn't been much of an intimate part – they were pretty young after all – but the modest and shy boy had reacted almost the same way and Gerald couldn't help but wonder exactly how Arnold had entertained Helga.

Gerald dismissed the idea quickly though. Firstly, Arnold didn't have feelings for Helga and even if he did; he definitely didn't have the guts to do _any_ such thing as coming onto her, especially not considering the delicate situation which was another reason. Helga had been _violated_ three months ago; not even Helga would bounce back that easily. And, most importantly, as if _Helga Pataki_ had any sort of feelings for Arnold! And if she didn't; no way was she the type of girl to have a friend with benefits. Nope, it just seemed too weird.

Phoebe and Lila looked questioningly at each other as well because of Arnold's weird reaction. Lila may have been observant, but even she had a hard time believing that what his reaction suggested could be true in any way. "Arnold…" she said gently, earning the flustered boy's attention. "Y-Yeah?" he inquired, but didn't feel less uncomfortable about how they all seemed to lean closer to him. "What exactly happened during your Thanksgiving with Helga?" Phoebe asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Arnold could have sworn that he stopped breathing at that moment. "De… D-Define _happened_." He requested, though he had a feeling that his request only made him sound more guilty… he wasn't sure what he thought he could possibly be 'guilty' of, but the others seemed to agree though as they all looked surprised at each other. "Arnold!" Gerald said seriously and stepped closer. "You tell me right now if anything happened between you and - - "

"Good morning!" a female voice called, interrupting Gerald before he could finish asking his question. Arnold smiled in relief and turned around to wave. "Goo-Good morning, Helga!" he called, hoping that his small stutter hadn't been too obvious. It had. They all eyed him curiously, as Helga approached them. "Why is Arnold the only one greeting me?" she asked accusingly, but she could definitely feel the odd tension in the air.

"Sorry, Helga. Good morning." Phoebe said kindly, trying to give a sincere smile, but she was still worried and mostly curious about what was going on. "An ever so good morning to you, Helga. So, how was your Thanksgiving?" Lila asked with a big smile, not bothering to hide the fact that she kinda knew how it had been already. Helga blinked a couple of times before she turned to look tiredly at Arnold. "You told them, didn't you?"

"No!" Arnold answered instantly and pointed at Lila. "_She_ figured it out on her own. I said nothing. You were right; nothing can be hidden from Lila." He added with a sigh, a little ashamed at how fast he had been at pointing fingers at Lila, though the girl herself just giggled. "It's ever so true, Helga, Arnold didn't say anything." She said kindly. Helga just sighed though. "How much do you guys know?"

Their eyes widened before they looked at each other again. "They only know we spent Thanksgiving together." Arnold answered on their behalf. Helga nodded in understanding. "Ok, here is what's going to happen." She stated simply. "You guys will just have to put your curiosity on the shelf until lunch break. You will have a bunch of questions and comments, and I'm not dealing with them through a short recess. Wait until lunch break. Understood?"

"Oh, that's ever so mean!" Lila stated with sad puppy-like eyes. "Yeah, that's cruel, even for you, Pataki." Gerald agreed. Helga waited for Phoebe to chime in as well, or 'concur' as she usually called it, but she didn't. The two best friends simply made a silent agreement to which Phoebe nodded. "All right, Helga, we'll wait till lunch break." She answered, causing both Lila and Gerald to look at her in surprise.

"But, Phoebe, you were the one who was ever so worried about Helga all through last night!" Lila pointed out. Helga seemed surprised at that. "R-Really?" she asked. Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, but I'm just glad to know that you were with Arnold. Give me a call next time though, ok?" she requested. Helga frowned and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Kinda hard without a phone that's awake. It lost its power days ago." She pointed out.

"Why didn't you charge it at the boarding house?" Arnold asked. Helga looked at him skeptically. "With everything going on there, when was I supposed to remember such a thing? Fireworks, eating with the other boarders and, of course, _that_?" she asked him, obviously trying to punish him for slipping the secret that early. Arnold made an awkward grimace at Helga's suggestive comment, remembering how the others seemed to think that something _entirely different_ had been going on at their Thanksgiving.

At Helga's comment, the others did indeed start to think about _such _things. "Oh, come on, Pataki! Don't make inside jokes or whatever when you won't tell us what this is about!" Gerald said with an obvious pout. "Inside jokes?" Helga repeated in slight disbelief, but then shook her head in amusement. "All right, all right, no more _inside jokes_. Let's head inside. It's freezing out here anyway."

* * *

To have to watch Arnold and Helga seemingly making these 'inside jokes' about whatever had happened around Thanksgiving was pure _torture_ to Phoebe, Gerald and Lila. Arnold didn't like teasing his friends, but it was their own fault for thinking this was about something sleazy. Helga seemed to have a lot of fun doing to, so he decided to humor her and in a way, it _was_ pretty fun to see them all get either flustered or _really_ annoyed at their small hints. Helga didn't know what they were thinking at all, but just knowing that they were curious was fueling the more sadistic side of her.

When the lunch period finally enrolled, Helga and Arnold seemed to get kidnapped by their friends. While Gerald grabbed Arnold's arm and physically pulled him along, Lila and Phoebe wrapped an arm around each of Helga's arms and pulled her along as well. Helga was chuckling along the way and the sound of it made Arnold chuckle as well. When they were outside, safe from anyone who could possibly have a curious ear, they stopped and let go of their blonde friends.

"Spill." They ordered in unison. "All right, all right, you've all been very patient." Helga said, feeling slightly sorry for them. _Slightly_. "Well, basically what happened was that while I was working at Vitello Flowers, Arnold came to_ help_ me a little. Of course, he was there to talk about Thanksgiving though. Arnold, using a dirty trick, convinced me to join him at the boarding house."

"Dirty trick?" Gerald repeated as he raised an eyebrow. He had a hard time imagining his modest friend using 'ditty tricks'. "Yeah, he told me he'd spend his whole Thanksgiving worrying about _me_, and how was that fair? In the end, he guilt tripped me into coming along." Helga answered as she crossed her arms. "Hey! It worked, didn't it?" Arnold asked with a grin, earning and elbow from Helga. "You are _so_ not a goody-two-shoes anymore."

"And then what happened?" Phoebe asked as she eyed the friendly gesture between her best friend and Arnold. "Well, I joined him for his Fourth of July themed Thanksgiving, we watched the fireworks and then he popped the big question." Helga answered with a nonchalant shrug, despite knowing _exactly_ what kind of suggestive reply she had just given. "He did _what_?!" they all exclaimed in unison, while Arnold himself were blushing heavily. "H-Helga!" he stuttered. "You're making them misunderstand!"

"With the way you said it, I misunderstood it for a second as well!" Helga pointed out with narrowed eyes, earning a gulp from Arnold. "W-Well, I'm sorry! It was a dumb way to phrase it, but remember that I didn't plan on asking." He reminded her. "You're just digging your own grave deeper." She replied with a smug smile. "Hey!" the others yelled in unison, earning Helga and Arnold's attention once again.

"We're real sick of being in the dark by now! Arnold! What the hell did you ask Helga?" Gerald asked. "I-I asked her to move into the boarding house." Arnold answered in a fluster. "He asked me to move in with _him_." Helga corrected. "Please let that go! It was a horrible way to phrase it. I get it." Arnold begged, mostly because he just felt so embarrassed about that still. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Move in? Wha-What are you talking about?" Gerald asked as he waved his arms around, looking like a cartoon character as he did so.

"Ok, to put it simple: the boarding house has an empty room at the moment. I already knew that, but moving into the same building as Arnold seemed a little… you know, so I didn't really consider it. Then Arnold suggested it and first I had one of my Pataki moments, but after sleeping there for tonight, then I…" Helga answered and took a breath. "I sorta figured it was time to push away the Pataki pride and do what's best for myself… and Megamind."

They all seemed completely stunned and Helga was surprised to see that they seemed somehow… disappointed? "So… you two didn't…" Gerald said as he pointed between the both of them. Helga frowned in confusion. "Didn't what?" she asked before she looked at Arnold. He noticed her eyes at him instantly and looked away. "They misunderstood something from before. It's no big deal." He answered, hoping that Helga would leave it at that though he knew the chance was slim.

Helga kept frowning as she turned to look at the others questioningly. They seemed to digest slowly that it had been their own perverted minds, which had come to that ridiculous conclusion that _anything_ had happened between Arnold and Helga. Well, at least because of the circumstances. "S-Sorry, Helga… it was us who misunderstood ever so much. No reason to dwell anymore on it." Lila said apologetically, only making Helga's frown deeper doing so.

Helga turned her face towards Arnold, noticing how his cheeks seemed to get redder and she was guessing it wasn't because of the cold. "What the hell did you tell them?" she asked suspiciously. Arnold just shook his head dismissively, hoping that keeping his mouth shut would get him out of the third degree. _I wonder if this is only the beginning?_ He wondered._ With grandpa thinking that I have feelings for Helga, her moving into the same building and even the others thinking there's even a slight change that Helga and I could develop into anything… is this kind of misunderstanding going to become a regular thing?_

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Yeah, Arnold, living this close to a girl you're starting to develop feelings for might cause more understandings – *serious nod* - or maybe more awkward revelations - *eager nod* xD**

**Hope you enjoyed! Not sure when the next will be up. I'm gonna start working at that nursing home tomorrow, and I still don't know exactly how my schedule looks xD Only that I'm supposed to work for 37 hours each week :3 That's about all I know about the technical stuff xD**


	18. You two are dangerous together

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** To walk to school with Helga had turned out to be quite the experience for Arnold. Not only did he get her to admit that she didn't exactly despise the other boys in their gang, but he also got to see and hear those freshmen that Helga had admitted to him were bullying her… a bit, she claimed, but their words had made him angrier than anticipated.**_

_**Arnold's promise to Helga about not telling anyone that she'd spent Thanksgiving with him and was now planning to move into Sunset Arms was flushed down the toilet within minutes when he was met with a curios Gerald, Phoebe and Lila. After stringing their friends along, the two blondes finally admitted to them what had been going on. To Helga's confusion, their friends had seemed to think something else entirely had been going on, but she was never told the truth.**_

**Author's 1st note: So! I've been working in the nursing home for two days now… I'm still having mixed feelings, though Friday was quite fun! I had gym with the seniors, got to know them all a little better (including my colleagues) and am slowly finding a sort of pace at the place. I'm hoping all days will be as good as that one 3**

**[As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 18: "You two are dangerous together"

"So… basically… you two are going to live together from now on?" Gerald asked matter-of-factly, almost as if he couldn't quite comprehend the information he had just been provided. Helga rolled her eyes. "_No_. We're not going to _live together_. We'll simply be… living in the same building." She explained, hoping for it to get through Gerald's thick head this time around. She wasn't sure if he was just trying to annoy her or if he was really being that dumb, but he was annoying her nonetheless.

After Gerald, Phoebe and Lila had realized that nothing promiscuous had happened between Arnold and Helga, the fact that Helga had told them she planned to move into Sunset Arms finally dawned on them. While Phoebe and Lila seemed to accept it rather quickly, Gerald still seemed not to understand it.

"Yeah, but you guys are going to be neighbors, right?" Gerald asked. "Yeah, I live in room number 1 and Helga lives in room number 2, so I guess we would, technically, be neighbors." Arnold answered this time around, breathing out heavily in slight annoyance. Like Helga, he was losing his patience with Gerald. Unlike Helga though, he knew the reason for Gerald's lack of understanding, or more like his reason for being shocked. Even if Helga and Gerald weren't enemies like when they were kids, they still didn't quite accept one another. Having Helga move into Sunset Arms meant that every time Gerald would come over he was likely to run into Helga… and he had a hard enough time being civil around her in school, and the biggest reason for him to try that hard was because of her situation and nothing else.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to be all over you when you come to hang out with Arnold. I'm probably going to stay in my room most of the time anyway! I did that at Bob and Miriam's house; why would this be any different?" Helga pointed out and sighed. "And now, I'd like to just eat, _please_, we're both starving!"

At Helga's _both_ comment, Gerald seemed to come to his senses. _Right… she's pregnant. She's moving into Sunset Arms because she's pregnant… was kicked out of her house for the same reason… Right._ He decided in his head and nodded. "Yeah, sorry, Pataki, I just needed to get it into my thick skull." He admitted embarrassedly. "More like through the thick hair." She muttered in response before walking past him, following Phoebe and Lila towards the cafeteria.

Gerald growled at the back of his throat and turned to look at Arnold. "She's starting to feel better, huh?" he asked a little bitterly, earning a frown from Arnold. "If she is, then you'd better not do anything to ruin it." he replied, a little hostile. "What do you mean '_if_ she is'? Didn't you just hear her sass me like usual?" Gerald asked in incredulity. "She seems to go back and forth all the time… When I went to wake her up this morning, she fell out of the bed in shock, I think." Arnold answered worriedly.

"Well… Helga's always been a little jumpy, right?"

"Maybe… but not _that_ much."

"Could be because of the baby?" Gerald suggested. Arnold turned to look at him and scowled deeply. "Don't use the B-word in public!"

Gerald rolled his eyes. "No one's around! That's why we chose this spot, remember?" he pointed out, earning a disapproving huff from Arnold who looked around as if he was in the middle of doing something criminal. Gerald sighed a bit at the sight. "You're a little on the edge yourself, man, you sure you can handle being around Pataki all the time?"

"It's better than not being around her." Arnold answered simply, still not looking at Gerald. Gerald blinked a couple of times, eyeing his best friend suspiciously. "Hey, Arnold." He said in a low voice, earning a small sound in response from him, but nothing else. "If I ask you something… will you promise to answer honestly and not get mad at me for asking?" Gerald asked. Arnold still didn't fully hear him though as he kept looking around to make sure that no one was nearby. Gerald took a deep breath. "Are you starting to get feeling for Helga?"

_That_ caught Arnold's attention though. With flushed cheeks, he whipped his head around, startling Gerald a bit, as he did so. "Not you too!" Arnold declared in shock, feeling his insides turn at hearing that question _again_. "What do ya mean 'me too'?" Gerald asked with a frown, feeling slightly defense because of Arnold's accusing glare. "Grandpa keeps telling me the same thing!" Arnold replied.

"Telling you what?!"

"That I help Helga because I'm in love with her! That I worry about Helga because I'm in love with her! That I forgot both Thanksgiving and my parents because I'm in love with Helga!"

"… You forgot your parents?"

"Yes, but that's not the point!"

"What _is_ the point then?!"

"The point is that now _you_ are starting getting funny ideas about Helga and me as well! Why? Tell me your reason for being on my grandpa's side?!"

"I'm not on your grandpa's side, Arnold! I just happen to… _maybe_… agree with him?"

"But _why_?! Why can't I just be worried about Helga, want to help Helga, without it meaning I have feelings for her? Feelings I, by the way, shouldn't have!"

"Wait, what? What are you - - "

"I mean, think about it; after what happened to Helga, do you seriously think me starting to have feelings would be in any way helpful? Helga needs a friend that can be there for her. At a time like this, she needs someone with no bad intentions, no hidden motive. Someone who just wants to help her and nothing else! If I started getting feelings for her, and she found it, she'd think that I was only trying to get her! That all my helping was I trying to make her feel the same way or force her to feel indebted to me! I don't want her to be scared of me too! I'm not going to be a second Tevin!" Arnold yelled fervently, keeping his eyes tightly shut doing so.

Gerald blinked in shock. Arnold often spoke of good will and preached a bit here and there… but this wasn't quite the same. To make matters worse, Arnold didn't seem to realize the real meaning behind what he had said at all. He opened his eyes at some point though and looked sullenly at Gerald. "Gerald." He said simply, gaining his taller friend's full attention. "Yes?" he inquired. Arnold took a small breath. "We'll never talk about this again."

"Got it." Gerald answered, but then bit at his lower lip. "Can I say just _one_ thing though?" he asked. "… No." Arnold answered, knowing he wouldn't like whatever Gerald would say since he was asking for permission. Gerald didn't seem to care for Arnold's answer though as he just spoke his mind anyhow. "You having feelings for Helga… wouldn't mean that she'd get scared of you… Being seriously in love with her is not the same as violating her, Arnold. If anything… some pure feelings from you might purify her."

Arnold's eyes widened and he turned to look at Gerald in utter surprise. Gerald gagged at the air in his throat and he coughed awkwardly. "Or something sappy like that." he muttered defensively and started to walk away. Arnold watched him as he did so, feeling something odd grow around his heart. _I remember someone else telling me something like that… Who was it? Oh, right, that freshman on the day Helga was… The guy she had just pushed. He told me that someone like me loving her might help her._

Arnold wasn't sure where his thoughts would have gone if he'd had the time to finish them. Before he could reach some sort of conclusion in his mind, he heard Gerald call his name. He looked up at him, listening as Gerald asked him if he was going to get some lunch or not. Arnold just nodded, dismissing his thought entirely and jogged to reach Gerald. _What does something like that mean anyway?_

* * *

"So… Helga." Phoebe said softly, earning the blonde's attention. They were currently walking away from the boys, on their way to the insides of the school and hopefully the cafeteria. Helga narrowed her eyes as she looked at her half-Japanese friend. "I'm not sure I like that tone." She declared. "I'm sure that Phoebe is just ever so curious about how you feel about living with Arnold… as am I." Lila replied on Phoebe's behalf.

Helga sighed deeply. She hated the fact that both Lila and Phoebe had realized that the other knew of her feelings for Arnold. _My feelings…_ she thought inside her head, realizing how little she knew about them at this point. "How I feel about living with Arnold?" she repeated and gave a small chuckle. "I'm not feeling anything in particular…"

"Oh, Helga, I'm ever so certain that can't be true." Lila pointed out with a small pout, disappointed that Helga would lie about that at this point. "It is." Helga declared and shook her head. "I'm… not feeling anything in particular…" she shrugged. "I'm going to be living in the same building as Arnold, but I'm not feeling anything…" she scowled. "Had this been three months ago, I would've been so happy that I probably would have bounced around in my room, squealing like a…"

Helga stopped herself right there though, feeling pained at the reminder of how she used to be. 'Used to be' were really cruel words she realized. Phoebe seemed like she was about to ask something, but Helga beat her to it. "Wanna know how I feel about not feeling anything?" she wondered. Phoebe seemed surprised, but just nodded gently. "I'm a little frightened… terrified… No… I'm scared outta my freaking mind." She answered and officially stopped moving as she could feel her shoulders start shaking.

Phoebe and Lila stopped walking as well, turning around to look at the blonde girl who seemed to hold back so much pain that it was almost leaking out of her appearance. "I'm so confused… What I think and feel keep changing all the time… A small touch or a few words can send me over the edge… I'm scared and I'm happy, and I'm confused and sad… all the time. I can't just _not care_ anymore." Helga said, refusing to look at the girls in front of her. "I'm doing my best here… I really am… I want to be strong and seem like I've got everything under control when in reality, I have no clue what tomorrow will bring. I _hate_ feeling this weak and useless."

As Helga's body started to convulse, she nor Phoebe and Lila noticed the two boys slowly approaching them. Gerald stopped as soon as he noticed them, causing Arnold to bump into his back. "Hey! What are - - " Arnold was silenced by Gerald's hand though. He used his free hand to put his index finger close to his mouth, signaling for him to be quiet. Arnold nodded and was freed promptly. He then leaned forward, same as Gerald and finally noticed the girls standing in the middle of the empty hallway.

Arnold would usually have told Gerald that they shouldn't eavesdrop, but something inside him stopped him from doing so when he saw the way Helga's body was shaking. Her head was bend forward, probably because of a conscious choice to hide her face behind her hair. Her trembling shoulders were still visible though and he just couldn't understand how she had been fine a minute ago and now seemed to be in agony.

"Helga… you are _not_ weak _or_ useless." Phoebe insisted softly, hoping that a gently approach would work. Arnold's eyes widened. _Helga said that about herself again?_ He thought as he remembered the few times she had admitted to feel that way about herself. He had been almost sure that she had gone away from such thoughts though, so hearing Phoebe insisting that Helga wasn't weak nor useless was quite a shock.

"How am I not?" Helga asked, revealing her face. They all gasped at the sight of her tear-stained face she had been able to hide for a moment. "I don't know what to do half the time…" She continued in a hiss. "I don't know how to take care of myself or Megamind… I don't know how to do anything; haven't been taught anything… and even _now_ I'm blaming that on someone else, even though it's my own fault!"

"Helga, you are _eighteen_ years old! None of us would know what to do if we were in your situation! I'm freaking out just thinking about it, and you know me; I never freak out. I don't even use that word." Phoebe pointed out, hoping to lighten Helga's mood with a small joke. It didn't seem to work, but Helga wasn't talking against her either. "It's true, Helga." Lila said with a slightly choking voice as she held back her tears. "If I was in your situation, I'd be ever so scared… and I think you've done so wonderful through this. You pushed away your pride for Megamind, didn't you? That _is_ doing something, Helga! You gave up something for the sake of someone else. That's ever so selfless and brave of you!"

Helga couldn't believe her own ears. Phoebe's words hadn't surprised her; she was her best friend after all, but to hear Lila _honestly_ telling her that she thought she was selfless and brave… that made her widen her eyes as she looked at the redhead. Noticing this, Phoebe hoped for Lila to continue and looked at her. Lila could feel Phoebe's eyes on her and she took a breath before speaking again.

"You… You chose to do something really brave when you chose to keep Megamind, Helga… That was such an ever so strong thing to do. It takes a lot of courage to keep a baby at our age, and _especially_ when you're…" Lila thought hard about how to phrase this part. "When you're… the only parent it has." She decided and Helga seemed to keep listening without reacting harshly against her words. That egged her on. "Only an ever so truly strong, loving and… mature person could do that. So… don't call yourself useless! You're all Megamind has. You're useful to _Megamind_. You're his or hers… _mother_."

Helga felt a lump in her throat appear at that word. Her neck started to cramp up as she tried to swallow that lump. "There is that word again… _Mother_… A mother is supposed to be… reliable… caring and… a good provider, right? How am I any of those things?" she asked darkly, remembering how she had felt so neglected as a child herself. She was so scared that Megamind would grow up the same way because she wasn't fit to be a mother.

At Helga's words though, Arnold frowned and decided to step forward. "How are you not those things?" he wondered, gaining the girls' attention. Helga's eyes widened. "Arnold! How long have you been - - " she started, but was interrupted by him as he walked towards them. "You're reliable because you've always kept your promises, both bad and good ones. You helped us all during the FTI incident and you helped me find my parents in San Lorenzo." He said as he continued walking, noticing how Phoebe and Lila were slowly stepping aside.

"You're caring because, and don't deny it, you've helped every single person in the gang at some point. You found my hat for me, you helped Patty find friends, you got Gerald to confess his feelings for Phoebe and the list only goes on! And you've got yourself a job and a _home_, haven't you? That makes you a good provider as well." Arnold finished, stopping when he was only a few feet away from Helga.

"All… All of those things you just mentioned were a long time ago!" Helga said, shaking her head angrily and shutting her eyes tight. "So what?! _You_ were still the one who did those things!" Arnold said. "And the job and the home are things you got recently!"

"Big whoop! My parents never had problem in that area either!" Helga pointed out, opening her eyes once again. "They always gave me whatever I wanted in that department! I was offered a freaking pony during the FTI incident! I got the last pair of the Nancy Spumoni snow boots during Christmas! I didn't only have my room; I had the whole attic as well! I _know_ that providing is important as well, and while that scares the shit outta me too, it's the emotional areas that's scaring me to death! I didn't exactly have any good role models for that! What if I turn out just like them? Like Bob? What if I can't remember Megamind's allergies, age or interests? What if I end up like Miriam? What if I don't have time to get Megamind to school, to pick Megamind up afterwards or don't make Megamind's breakfast, lunch or dinner?!"

"Those things won't happen!" Arnold replied angrily. "How do you know?!" Helga asked with equal fervor, the tears in her eyes jumping out of her eyes at the way she whipped her head up from her chest to look at him. He growled at her denseness, which was ironic. "Because you're afraid of all those things!" he answered. His answer surprised her and she leaned back a little, as if he was a Monet painting; something only to be understood if seen far away.

Arnold sighed and grabbed Helga's shoulder, making sure to notice how she reacted to it before speaking; she didn't react, just waited for him to keep speaking. "Helga, you're so scared about this… You worry about every single little thing, you get scared about every stumble, every tight hug, every moment of running or jumping… You hold your stomach whenever physically possible; you study about pregnancy _and_ babies." He pointed out. "You're scared you'll turn out to be like your parents, but you knowing that they were horrible ones means that you won't turn out like them. You won't turn into them because you don't want to. You'll make a great mom because you _want_ to be."

Helga felt her tears streak down her cheeks as she blinked them away from her eyes. She would have noticed Gerald approaching them, laying his arm over Phoebe's shoulders, if she hadn't been staring at Arnold's face at the moment. Hearing all those words… all those reassuring, truly _sincere_ words… it just made her feel so warm that she was sure she'd melt despite the cold outside. With a small sniff, she closed her eyes and let her forehead hit his chest.

Arnold's heart pumped at seeing the top of Helga's so close to his chin. He was around the same height as her, perhaps a very few inches taller, so when he placed his arms on her back, she moved up to the crook of his neck instead. It had been a long time since she had been so comfortable about being this close to him… It felt like she was safe. Without even noticing it, she had moved her arms to wrap them around his waist, pulling him closer to her as she did so. She wasn't sure how long she'd feel comfortable being so close to a male, Arnold or not, so she was going to enjoy it for as long as she could.

Watching Arnold hold the girl, he was suspecting Arnold had feelings for, made Gerald make a worried grimace. _I'm starting to understand why he doesn't want to have feelings for her… As if Helga doesn't have enough to deal with. Love is probably the last thing on her mind and Arnold's afraid to stress her further… Damn._ He thought with a frown. _I seriously hope that Arnold doesn't fall in love with her… for both of their sakes._

* * *

By the time Arnold and Helga had let go of each other and Helga had suggested for them to finally go and eat, the cafeteria was almost empty. The cafeteria lady hadn't been happy to see them coming in so late, but had given them food anyhow. They were currently sitting together at their usual table, having invited Lila to join them this time as well, when Gerald decided it was time to break the silence.

"So… Pataki…" Gerald said with a voice indicating that he was about to ask something dubious. Helga removed her eyes from her food, swallowed and looked at him. "Yes?" she inquired, feeling that whatever he would say would make her stir one way or another. "You, uh… really studying about babies and stuff?" he asked. She cocked an eyebrow at his rather innocent question. "Uh, yeah…" she answered. "I kinda need to know how to take care of it."

"Then it's a good thing you're living with Arnold now, huh?" Gerald asked with a small wicked smile. Both Helga and Arnold turned to look at each other in confusion. "How so?" Arnold asked, turning his eyes away from Helga when she did the same to him. "She can practice on you, man!" Gerald answered, earning more confused stares from Phoebe and Lila as well. Knowing that there was no turning back from his upcoming joke now, Gerald finally made his point. "He can pretend to be Megamind! Scream a little, call for you in the middle of the night." He answered with that wicked grin of his. "Hell, you can even practice feeding him with a bottle!"

Helga blushed slightly at the odd images roaming through her mind at _taking care_ of Arnold in such an inappropriate way and she didn't have to look at Arnold to know his face looked the same way. "Idiot. I don't need to practice doing all that or feeding him either. Megamind will be breastfed." She pointed out. Gerald smiled when he saw her put some pudding on her spoon and put it in her mouth. "Yeah, you probably shouldn't practice that with Arnold." He said, stifling a laugh as he did so.

Arnold's eyes widened in total embarrassment and so did Helga's, causing her to almost choke on her pudding. She started coughing and hit herself at her chest, feeling Arnold hitting her at her back as well. When she felt safe from choking to death, she looked at Gerald and growled threateningly at him. She would have noticed Phoebe smacking the back of his head as punishment, if it wasn't because Helga herself was planning a punishment of her own. She grabbed her pudding cup and stood up from her seat. Without a word, she walked towards Gerald who was already getting up from his chair. When he started running, so did she.

"You shouldn't run, Helga!" Gerald pointed out, causing Helga to stop instantly and grabbed her stomach with her free hand. She glowered at him when he stopped next to Arnold, gasping a little for air. Arnold, still with slightly red cheeks, stood up from his seat and grabbed his friend's waist and arm in a tight lock. "Arnold! What are you doing?!" he asked as he tried to get out of his friend's grip. "Letting Helga revenge the both of us. Come on!" he begged Helga with a smile, noticing how she was smiling wickedly as well as she walked towards them.

"Oh, come on, you guys! I was only trying to lighten the mood!" Gerald said in slight panic, doing his best to get away, but Arnold was holding him in place. _Damn his grandma for teaching him martial arts! He's way too fucking strong!_ He thought as he saw Helga approach him. "Oh, you _did_ lighten the mood, Gerald, and now let me thank you for it." she said as she lifted her hand to pour the pudding over his head.

"Ugh! No! Please stop!" Gerald begged as he felt the cold substance spread over his hair and down his face. Helga just chuckled at the sight though and finally stopped pouring the pudding once it was all gone from the cup. "You can let go now, Arnold." She said. Arnold did as told and Gerald instantly walked away from all of them, noticing how even Lila and Phoebe were laughing at him at this point.

"Man, you guys totally _suck_! Look at me!" Gerald said as his eyes went up towards his hair. "Oh, trust me, we're looking at you." Helga replied with a laugh and leaned towards Arnold. "Give me your phone." She whispered. Rather than questioning her, Arnold gave her his phone secretly, making sure that Gerald didn't notice as he removed some pudding from his hair. He frowned at the sight. "Man, this is disgusting."

"Think of it as conditioner!" Phoebe suggested with a laugh. She felt a little bad for her boyfriend; he had after all only tried to lighten the mood, but his joke had also gone way too far. She could barely imagine how embarrassed both Arnold and Helga had felt when he said that. "Yeah, with that big hair of yours, it could use a little." Helga chimed in while she tapped on Arnold's phone. "Oh, shut up!" Gerald ordered as he stuck his tongue out at the sight of his pudding-filled hands.

"Oh, Gerald." Helga said in a singsong voice with a wicked grin and held the phone up in front of her eyes. "What?" he asked in slight annoyance and looked up. "Say pudding." She answered mockingly and took a picture of Gerald with his eyes widened and his hair and hands filled the pudding. "What are you doing?!" Gerald asked in shock when he half-realized what she had done. "Oh… just taking a small memento…" she answered with a smile and removed the phone from her face. "So you'll remember what happens when you want to _lighten_ the mood."

Helga laughed along with the rest of the group, Gerald being the exception, as she held the phone out to Arnold. He took it happily, noticing how his fingers grazed hers as he did so. Despite the awkward joke a minute ago, he still felt giddy at a mere touch. "Man, Arnold! Why did you let her do that?" Gerald asked in annoyance. "Because I don't want you to try to lighten the mood ever again either!" Arnold answered with blushing cheeks as he shoved his phone into his pocket again.

Gerald, feeling resentful for what had been done to him, decided to not care that he'd might be digging his own grave continuing the joke. "Oh, come on, as if any guy would mind being a test dummy for that!" he pointed out. Helga felt her cheeks flush instantly and she growled at the back of her throat. "I-I'm warning you!" she said angrily, seriously wishing she could run after him at this moment.

"Your breasts are also just gonna get bigger and bigger and they were huge already!" Gerald kept going with a wicked grin as he noticed how both Arnold and Helga blushed more and more. "Wha… Wha-What's that supposed to mean?!" Helga asked in total embarrassment. She knew what he was talking about though. She had gotten curvier and curvier as she grew from child to a teenager and though she tried to hide that fact in baggy clothes, her growing chest had proven to be difficult to hide no matter what she wore.

"Oh, don't play stupid, Helga, it's not like you haven't noticed yourself. Guess what; all the sweatshirts hid _nothing_! The boys still elected your breasts to be the largest ones in the gang." Gerald said, feeling wonderfully malicious at the sight of Helga squirming in embarrassment. Her eyes widened at his statement though and she turned to look questioningly at Arnold. He was already blushing, but it intensified at her stare. "I-I wasn't part of that v-vote!"

Helga cocked an eyebrow at that and turned to look at Gerald instead who crossed his arms. "He's speaking the truth. He refused to be a part of it." he replied. Helga hadn't expected Arnold to be a part of such a childish and rather boyish act, but having it confirmed eased her mind. It was awkward enough to know what the other boys were thinking about her, not that it surprised her; she was realistic. Boys were boys and she couldn't deny having taken part in a conversation with the girls with something akin to the same theme. She hadn't liked that either though, especially when they had started talking about Arnold. That was when she had declared that she hated all this girly stuff and stormed out of the room, Phoebe soon following her when Gerald had become the topic.

"But I'm guessing that since you and Arnold are gonna be living together, he's the one whose vote is going to be most reliable next time around." Gerald continued, causing everyone who heard him to either frown or blush deeply. To Arnold and Helga, both those statements were true. "Gerald." Arnold said in a low voice. "You're forgetting something." He pointed out. "What?" Gerald asked, cocking an eyebrow. Arnold lifted his face, revealing an evil grin. "Helga can't run… but _I_ can."

Gerald blinked a couple of times. "Crap." He said and then bolted in the other direction as soon as Arnold got up from his chair. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, damn it! Helga! Please! Make him stop!" Gerald begged as he ran through the room. "The hell I will!" Helga answered and looked at Arnold's food tray. She grabbed the pudding cup on it and yelled for him to catch it. Arnold looked towards Helga and lifted his arm when he saw her throwing the pudding cup at him. He caught it easily and picked up his pace. When he reached Gerald, he grabbed his arm, stopping him momentarily, and tipped the cup so its contents landed on Gerald's head.

"Oh, man!" Gerald exclaimed and turned around to scowl at Arnold who had just turned around to walk back to the table. Helga crossed her arms and was trying to stifle a chuckle, just like Phoebe and Lila were doing as well. "You two are dangerous together!" he declared as he grabbed some pudding from his hair and looked at in disgust. Helga and Arnold simply looked at each other, wearing big smiles on their faces.

Arnold turned his body around to face Helga and lifted his flattened hand towards her. With a big grin, she lifted her own and smacked his hand in a high-five. She had been about to remove her hand then, as how one usually ended a high-five, but feeling Arnold's fingers stretch a bit, making some space in-between them, her fingers automatically intertwined a little with his. She let her fingers stay there, tangled with his, and her smiled turned lop-sided and a little shy, but she didn't remove her hand… nor did Arnold.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Tell me… around the 'breastfeeding' joke, when did you realize that was where Gerald was going? xD Did you realize earlier or did he (I) take you completely by surprise when you read it?**


	19. The last drop of water

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.**

**They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.**

**Title: "Let me be your hero"**

**In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero':**_** After having admitted to their friends that Helga was going to move into Sunset Arms 'with' Arnold, it was time to eat even if it was quite late. As the girls walked away first, Gerald started to question Arnold about his feelings for Helga. Arnold, still unaware of the slowly growing feelings within him, insisted that – more than anything – he didn't want to cause any more trouble for Helga.**_

_**In the meantime, Helga admitted her fears to both Lila and Phoebe. She admitted to be scared of turning out just like her own parents and while the fears haven't disappeared completely, Arnold managed to calm her down and convincing her that perhaps she could become a good parents after all.**_

_**In an attempt of lightening the mood afterwards, Gerald made quite the inappropriate joke, causing Arnold and Helga to avenge each other against him. While Gerald got soaked in pudding, the two blondes shared a small moment of holding hands in triumph.**_

**Author's 1st note: Badum! Cx**

**[As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]**

* * *

Chapter 19: "The last drop of water"

"Have a nice weekend, you two." Phoebe said, wearing a smile as she waved a little at Arnold and Helga. She could see that Helga felt weird about being greeted like that; knowing that she'd be walking home with Arnold and she would be 'staying with him' through the whole weekend… Confused or not, she could definitely feel a smidgen of those old giddy feelings she used to get a moments like these before Megamind.

"Ha-Have a good weekend yourselves." Arnold answered, feeling slightly light-headed himself. It was a really weird feeling, going home with Helga, knowing she'd be close by through the whole weekend. "We'll see you on Monday." Lila said and waved at the two blondes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, go home already, love birds." Gerald said with a glare. Very small drops of pudding could still be seen in his hair and on the stains on his shirt that was hidden beneath the coat, but he had managed to get most of it off.

"Trying to lighten the mood, Gerald?" Helga asked with warning eyes. He narrowed his eyes as well. "I'm gonna get you for that, Pataki." He said with intent. "I'll just play the Megamind card." She replied. "I'll just wait seven months." Gerald answered. When the others gave him a disbelieving look, he huffed. "You guys try to argue against the Megamind card; it ain't easy." He said defensively and laid his arm over Phoebe's shoulders. "Leaving!"

Phoebe chuckled and turned her head to look over at Arnold and Helga. "See you on Monday!" she said happily. Helga smiled triumphantly as she waved, watching them all walk away. "Planning to cut him a break on Monday or not?" Arnold asked as he waved as well. Helga hummed thoughtfully and then shrugged. "Depends on my mood, I guess…" she answered honestly. "And whether he makes other jokes like that ever again."

Arnold, having been reminded of that particular joke, blushed at the thought. He wasn't sure if he should, but he decided to touch the subject ever so lightly. "Uh… H-Helga?" he said, hoping to gain her attention. She stopped waving at the others, shoved her hand into her pocket and turned to look at him. "Yeah?" she inquired. Arnold made a hesitant mutter as he started to scratch the nape of his neck shyly. "Si… S-Since we're going to be living in Sunset Arms together from now on, the others _are_ probably going to tease us like this in the future…" He pointed out. "I guess I just wanted to make sure that's not a problem? I mean, you're not thinking of moving - - "

"Of moving out?" Helga asked with an eyebrow quirked. Arnold hesitated for a second, but then nodded. "I hit the jackpot with that place! As if a few jokes will make me move out." She answered and rolled her eyes as she walked past him. He turned around to look at her as she turned around as well. "Besides… I'm thinking of the whole Gerald-bullying-me-a-little thing as some sort of compensation from over the years when I've done the same to him."

"Compensation?" Arnold inquired before walking towards Helga. She nodded as she started walking next to him. "I mean, I've said some pretty nasty things over the years myself… His joke was at least not as mean as it was just _really_ awkward!" she answered with an embarrassed frown. He gulped and nodded in agreement. "Yeah… i-it _was_ way out of line though, seriously." He muttered. "Yeah." Helga answered with furrowed eyebrows. "Why did he pull _you_ into this anyway? I mean, sure, for the sake of the joke, but it was me he wanted to embarrass, right? He ended up embarrassing you just as much if not even more!"

Arnold's face went slightly red as a certain conversation earlier that day roamed through his head. "Uh… I-I think he probably had his own reasons for pulling me into it… o-or maybe he didn't really care that I was embarrassed as well; he just wanted to embarrass you." he answered, but then shook his head. "No. Actually, what he really wanted was to lighten the mood, just as he said. He doesn't handle… rough stuff very well."

Helga eyed Arnold as he spoke. When he looked at her, she looked away. "Well, tell him I'm ever so sorry for making _him_ go through pain." She muttered a little bitterly. "He doesn't mean it like that, Helga." He replied, earning a sigh from her. "I know that. I've gotten to know him better since he and Phoebe started dating, so I know, but…" she answered and chewed a bit on the inside of her lower lip. "It still bothers me a little that everyone else seems so affected by _my_ situation. I just don't… like it."

"Because you feel like you're bothering other people with your problems… or because you feel weak because everyone knows about them?" Arnold asked. Helga blinked a couple of times in surprise as she looked at him. "Uh… well, if I asked _you_ I know what the answer would be." She responded. "Speaking of that… thanks for… saying all those things earlier. I feel a little calmer."

"A _little_?"

"A little. I'm still… freaking out. I mean, I'm an eighteen year old mo… m-mother-to-be and I don't have a very big income. I have a home now though at least. Speaking of that, when os the rent due?"

"Oh, don't worry about that."

"What? Arnold! I swear, if you're about to tell me that I don't need to pay rent, I'll - - "

"No! No, but some of the other boarders are sometimes slow in paying the rent, so pay when you can like they do. I'm the one collecting the rent anyway, so don't stress about that."

"_You_'re collecting the rent?" Helga asked in surprise. "Yeah, I've been doing so ever since I was a kid. It's part of my chores." Arnold answered with a smile. _Weird._ Helga thought as she looked forward once again. _Why did I never notice that all those many times I snuck into the boarding house? I've been there countless times without his knowledge; was he simply not collecting rent any of those days? Oh, God, 'snuck into his house countless times', I really did that._

"So, what's the plan, Helga?" Arnold asked. Helga shook her head to get out of her thoughts and looked at him. "Huh?" she muttered. "What's the plan? You don't need to work at Vitello Flowers because it was Thanksgiving yesterday, so I was wondering if you'd like a tour around Sunset Arms? You know, to get to know everything." He suggested. "Oh! Like that. Uh…" she said and then took a slightly too deep breath for Arnold's liking. "Uh, actually I was planning to get some stuff back at the house before Bob gets home."

Arnold's eyes widened. "You're going back there?" he asked. "Just to get some stuff." Helga answered, grabbed her phone and showed it to him. "To get the charger for this, for example. Get some clothes and whatever personal belongings I don't want to live without." She replied and shoved her phone into her pocket again.

Arnold didn't seem very warm to the idea of Helga going back to the place she was kicked out of, but she was right about the belongings. "Want me to go with you?" he asked. Helga quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why on earth would I?" she asked in confusion. He gave her a knowing look and she sighed. "Ok, I see your point…" she replied. "Wait outside the house then. It's just in case Bob gets home before I get out."

Arnold nodded in response. He was happy Helga had let him come along honestly. Because he had this really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"You sure you don't want me to go in with you? What if Bob is there already?" Arnold asked as he and Helga were about to approach the house. "Fat chance he's here already. At this time he's usually in a meeting or on the way home from one. Miriam's the only one home and she's probably blacked out from this morning's whiskey." She answered and got up on her stoop. "Besides, it's safer if you keep a look-out out here. I'll put my phone in the charger as the first thing and turn it on. Text me, call me or whatever if you see his Hummer."

"Hummer? The last time he had a Mercedes!"

"What can I say, Arnold? Ever since Bob started selling not only beepers in Big Bob's Beepers, he's got his ass full of money, or at least more than before." Helga answered with a shrug before opening the unlocked door and went inside. Arnold shook his head in amusement. _I can't believe Helga's going from a life like this to live in a boarding house with a baby. Sunset Arms is a great place, but it's no castle._ He thought with a smile._ Helga still seems to like it though; I hope she'll continue to do that._

On the other side of the door, Helga was currently sneaking through the hallway. She dared to stick her head into the living room to see if Miriam was on the couch. To her surprise, she wasn't. _That's odd. She usually takes a 'nap' at this hour._ She thought, shrugged it off and went upstairs. As soon as she walked into her room, her eyes widened. Everything was trashed. One of the legs on the bed was ripped off, making the bed tilt to the side, her desk was flipped over and she noticed that the door to her closet was missing.

Helga felt incapable of reacting to any of this. She just stared at it. This used to be _her_ place, her home, her safe area. The place she went to get some peace because, frankly, she didn't get a lot of that in school or in the rest of the house. This had been her sanctuary for so many years and now it looked like a junk yard. The only thought that went through her mind for less than a second was that she felt a lot like her room; one big mess. No matter how much she wanted to see her room as it was before then it still didn't look nor feel the same.

Helga took a deep breath, blew the air out and went towards the outlet close to her nightstand. Her charger was gone, but after looking around for a second she found it beneath the tilted bed and put the charger into the outlet, connecting the charger to her phone. She didn't dare turning around to examine her room just yet. Her first priority was to get her phone going, so Arnold could text her about Bob when he got home.

As soon as the phone had beeped into life and Helga had unlocked it, she turned around. _Ok. I need a bag to put everything into, my clothes, my notebooks and the compressed daisy._ She thought, took a deep breath and went into the middle of the room. She wasn't sure how she managed to find _anything_ in this scrapyard, but she did. She even managed to find the daisy Arnold had given her back in fourth grade and that she had held onto in a compressed state ever since. She placed her nose gently on it and inhaled. The beautiful smell of it was long gone, but she could still imagine it so very well. It was after all one of her happier memories.

As soon as Helga placed her foot on the ground to get up from the floor, her phone beeped. Her head whipped towards it in shock, but she thought fast. She grabbed her bag, shoved the book with the daisy into it and took the bag to her bed. Grabbing her phone, she eyed the message as she shoved the charger into the bag as well: **Bob is here!** Arnold had written and she wheezed in fright. She shoved the phone into her pocket, grabbed her bag, swung it over her shoulders and went towards her door.

As soon as Helga opened it, she heard a soft voice say her name. She withheld the gasp that so desperately wanted to get out of her mouth before she turned her head slowly. Miriam was standing at the other side of the hallway, looking like if she had just seen a ghost. Helga's eyes were as wide as hers. Fear of Miriam calling for Bob running through her, she started running herself. "Helga!" Miriam called behind her, but Helga ran down the stairs anyhow, making sure to have a good grip on the railing as she did so.

"Helga?!" and angry voice repeated outside the door. Helga stopped short in front of it as it opened before her, revealing an angry Bob. He was staring at her in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here, girl?! I told you to never come back!" he said and stepped threateningly closer. "This _will_ be the last time I'm here." Helga stated bravely, but was shaking on the inside. "I just came to get my stuff. I'll be out of your hair now if you'll let me leave."

"_Your_ stuff?! Oh, no, I don't think so. I paid for everything you own! All that used to be yours is rightfully mine." Bob pointed out before stepping forward to grab Helga. She stepped back, causing him to fall to the ground in front of her. "Bullshit!" she exclaimed. "You gave me the money to get me off your back! To make sure I didn't bother you about whatever whenever! And I never did, did I? I earned all of this from you! That was the deal! 'Leave me alone and I'll give you 500 bucks a week!' That was _your_ words."

Bob growled in anger on the floor, but Miriam had taken Helga's attention for a moment. She was currently standing on the stairs, leaning over the railing to look upon what was going on. "I'm going now and I'm not coming back." Helga said to Miriam in particular. "Don't worry. I've found a home and a job." Helga couldn't help but add. She wasn't sure why or if she was just imagining it, but Miriam seemed scared beyond recognition. At Helga's words though, she sighed a bit in relief.

Helga gave Miriam a small smile, thinking that she didn't know when she'd be able to do so again, if ever, before she walked around Bob who was still on the ground. "Oh, no, you don't!" he said before grabbing Helga's ankle. She shrieked in shock, but managed to grab the doorframe before plunging to the ground. Her arm automatically went around her stomach to protect it from any future fall before she whipped her head around to look at her angry father pleadingly. "Please, just let me go! You'll never have to see me again!"

Bob didn't say anything, but just growled as he kept holding onto Helga's ankle, refusing to let her take even one step closer to the front door. Shoving away her pride, she took a deep breath before she called Arnold's name in a frantic voice. In a matter of seconds, the door was pushed open and Arnold was standing there. As soon as he saw the scene before him, his eyes went wide. "Helga!" he called anxiously. He went to wrap his arms under hers and pulled at her.

"No!" Bob exclaimed, but with both Arnold and Helga's strength, he was forced to let go of her. Before Bob could stand up, Arnold grabbed Helga's hand and bolted out of the house. They could both hear Bob's booming voice shout at them from the house, but after looking over her shoulder; Helga stated that he wasn't following them. "You sure you should be running?" Arnold asked despite not making any move to stop. "What's safer, Arnold?" she asked out of breath. "Running or being around Bob?"

As soon as Helga and Arnold had rounded a corner, getting considerably closer to the boarding house, Arnold stopped gently. He was gasping for air and doing so, he leaned forward. He thought it was odd that he couldn't hear Helga doing the same, but he figured his own breaths were too heavy and noisy for him to hear hers. When he turned his head to look at her though, he noticed that she seemed like she wasn't capable of gasping at the moment. Her eyes somehow looked hollow and her face showed no emotion. A wave of bad nostalgia went through him.

"Helga?" Arnold asked softly, arching his back to look properly at her. She didn't look at him though. "Did he… hurt you?" he asked, fearing that something had happened before he arrived. "He could have…" She replied in a mutter and he finally realized why her expression looked the way it did when she grabbed her stomach; the thought of Megamind having been hurt was scaring her to death. "He could have killed Megamind… with just one punch." She added and finally looked at Arnold. "Do you think that Bob… would really have punched me… if you hadn't come?"

Arnold wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer that, so he decided to be honest. "I don't know… but let's just be glad that he didn't, right?" he suggested. Helga blinked a couple of times, let her bag fall into her hand and looked at it. "I… I risked my baby's life to get a few materialistic things." She stated hatefully. "You need clothes to keep both you and Megamind warm." Arnold said, hoping his words would convince her. It didn't seem to work though as she just sighed. She looked at him as if he was a child who just didn't understand something really complicated, but she swung the bag over her shoulder anyway and started walking.

* * *

Arnold had hoped that Helga's mood would have gotten better by the time they reached Sunset Arms and even her room, but her eyes were still as hollow as they had been fifteen minutes ago. She didn't say anything either and he didn't dare starting a conversation. When she had put her bag on her bed, with Arnold standing a few feet behind her, leaned against the door, she just stared at it. Her head felt empty, but her heart was screaming that she had been so careless; walking into a dangerous place like that without a proper plan. Unconsciously, she was thinking: _I'm so fucking useless…_

Arnold could have deemed Helga psychic because when he opened his mouth to speak, she turned around. "I'm going to take a shower." She stated simply, not looking at him and then walked past him. "Hel - - " he said, about to call her name, but shut his mouth. He watched her as she walked rapidly through the hallway before he turned to look at her bag instead. _I hope I can pull her out of this one as well._ He thought as he remembered the other times she had acted like this. He just hoped that she truly just wanted a shower.

Arnold walked towards Helga's bag. He grabbed the bag and opened it, deciding he'd do her a favor by unpacking her stuff so she didn't have to worry about that once she got out of the bathroom. He shoved his hands into the bag and pulled almost everything out of it. The majority of the bag's content was clothes, as she had mentioned, but when he felt something hard and rectangular against one of his arms, he frowned in confusion.

"What in the…" Arnold muttered and removed some of the clothes, only to reveal so many pink books that he had to wonder how in the world Helga had been able to carry them so easily. "Oh, these are the books she always writes in." he said aloud with a smile. He grabbed each one of them and put them in a smile pile on the other side of the bed. When he came across a brown book rather than pink though, he cocked his head to the side curiously.

Unable to ignore his interest, Arnold opened it gently. He was sure it would have been a novel of some sort, but when he opened it, he noticed the pages were blank. He frowned. _Is this a book she hasn't started writing in yet? But why isn't it pink then?_ He wondered and flipped through the pages. When he got to the middle, something fell out of it. "Oh! Sorry, Helga." He exclaimed before bending his knees, grabbing whatever had fallen out and stretched his knees once again.

Arnold had been about to place the object into the book again until it caught his sight. With big eyes, he eyed the compressed daisy. He smiled. _Daisies really are her favorite._ He thought before placing it into the book. _I can't believe Helga owns a compressed flower. That's really girly, honestly. I should probably keep my mouth shut about knowing about it…_ He thought, but then an idea occurred to him. _I could try to put this into a frame so she can hang it by the wall. That'd be a nice housewarming present._

Arnold wasn't sure if he should have taken the compressed flower, and he definitely wasn't sure if he was doing Helga a favor or not by doing so, but once he got an idea, he usually went for it. After placing the book with the compressed daisy in his room, he went back to Helga's to continue unpacking. Opening her closet, he placed the different clothing items on different shelves, making sure that blouses, tops and hoodies were on the top shelf, pants beneath and anything he wasn't really sure what would be categorized as, on the lower shelf. He had been blushing bright red as he placed her underwear in one shelf and then slammed it shut and absolute embarrassment.

Despite Arnold's embarrassment, the part of him that was truly a boy, hadn't been able to _not_ notice that while some of her bras were one size, very few others were bigger. After the embarrassment going down, he realized it was because she was pregnant and because of the whole developing milk thing. After that, he had gotten embarrassed again, remembering Gerald's joke about practicing breastfeeding and he shook his head to get out of his inappropriately dirty thoughts.

After quite some time, when Arnold had been tidying the room itself up a bit, he heard his grandpa call his name outside the door. Leaving the cloth on the table, Arnold walked towards the door and opened it. "Grandpa?" he asked and looked through the hallway. Phil turned around, having been about to walk up the stairs to Arnold's room. "Oh, there you are, Short man! What are you doing in Helga's room?" he asked as he walked towards his grandson.

"Just tidying up. I unpacked her stuff so she didn't have to worry about that." Arnold answered, closing the door behind him. "What did you want?" he asked with a smile. "Speaking of Helga…" Phil said and walked past Arnold. He went after his grandfather as he continued talking. "She's the one in the shower right now, yes?" he asked. "Uh, yeah. Why?" Arnold asked, causing Phil to stop and turn around. "You know how when we take showers, Arnold, that the heat from it basically makes the door get all moist?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, we should really get a new door by the way." He pointed out. "Yeah, yeah, anyway, I can hear the water running, so I know Helga's in there, but firstly your little friend isn't responding when I call her… Secondly, the door is as dry as dust." Phil said, looking a little worried. Arnold's eyes widened. "Are you saying that…" he was about to ask, but then just walked past his grandpa, running far away from him and towards the bathroom. "Helga!" he called as he knocked on the door. When there was no response, he kept knocking and called her name. "Helga! Helga, what happened? Are you ok?! Helga!"

When a response still wasn't heard, Arnold cursed inside his head before running through the hallway. "I need to go to my private bathroom, Short man; your grandma gave me raspberry pie for lunch today. Remember, never eat raspberries!" Phil said, but Arnold barely heard him as he bolted towards the small cabinet in the hallway and opened it. He kept cursing as he grabbed the bathroom key and ran through the hallway once again, not bothering to close the cabinet.

As Arnold placed the key into the keyhole, he called Helga's name once again. "Helga! I'm worried about you, so I'm coming in, ok? It's your last chance to say that you're fine and nothing's wrong! Please!" he begged and placed his ear against the door. He waited for a few seconds, but when nothing happened, he unlocked the door and walked inside. He quickly closed the door behind him and looked around.

Arnold could hear the water running like Phil had mentioned, but he couldn't see Helga's shadow through the shower curtain. He gulped. "H-Helga?" he asked gently and walked slowly towards the bathtub. He heard absolutely nothing but the water running. He closed his eyes in fright before grabbing the curtain and pulling it aside. When he still heard nothing but the water, he opened his eyes slightly.

"Helga!" Arnold shouted as the sight of her shocked him. Helga was sitting in the bathtub, curled up in a sitting fetal position, her whole body hidden by her arms, legs and long hair. Arnold quickly turned off the water and after doing that, he reached into the water to pull the shower plug. "Shit!" he exclaimed when he felt the cold water roam through his arm and making his whole body shiver. As soon as he had pulled the plug, he pulled his arm back and eyed it in shock.

Arnold's eyes then turned towards Helga, realizing that if he felt _this_ way about one arm… Without finishing his thought, Arnold grabbed the biggest nearby towel he could find and put it over Helga's back, not caring that it got soaked in the cold water. "Helga, we need to get you out of this water right now!" he said worriedly and went to sit on his knees next to the tub. When he went to grab her arms, her head tilted back and slammed into the crook of his neck.

Arnold gasped at the feeling from her cold hair, but simply wrapped the towel around her body, doing his best to wrap it properly without looking too much at her. "Helga, stand up." He begged. When she didn't move, he asked her once again in a louder voice. He heard her wheeze a bit in pain, probably from the cold, and then her hand went to his wrist to gain some support from him. After putting himself onto his feet, he pulled Helga up in a standing position.

While holding onto Helga, Arnold grabbed another nearby towel and placed it over her torso and thighs. "Helga, can you get out of the shower?" he asked. She didn't respond, but just kept shivering. With a determined expression, Arnold snuck his arm under her knees and pulled her up. She was _so_ cold that he was practically shivering just from holding her. "We need to get you warm, Helga." He said, hoping for a reaction other than shaking. He didn't get one.

Making sure that Helga was covered up; Arnold used his foot to kick the door open and looked outside. No one was nearby, so he ran through the hallway towards her room. Kicking that door open as well, he quickly placed her on the bed. She whined at the loss of contact from his warm body, but as soon as he had closed the door, he went back to her. Without looking at her, he removed the towels and swung the duvet over her instantly. _I'm so glad I made her bed._ He thought briefly and started to rub her arms through the duvet.

"Warm up, Helga… _please_." Arnold begged, wondering if the cold shower would harm the baby. He truly didn't know and he wasn't planning to find out either. If it could hurt the child, she needed to get warm _now_. Noticing how her head was still shaking from being cold, he looked around to try to find something to put over the duvet to warm her up faster. When he noticed a blanket and was about to leave her to get it, he felt her icy hand grab his.

Arnold gasped at the coldness in Helga's hand, but when he turned his head around to look at her, the frosty feeling was forgotten. She looked at him with dazed and hollow eyes, but with a certain look of pleading as well. He knew she was begging him to stay close and with that in mind, he couldn't bring himself to let go of her hand. Remembering a lesson from biology a million years ago, Arnold grabbed his shoes and threw them away, before lifting the duvet and lying down next to Helga.

"Warm up… Please…" Arnold kept begging as he switched between rubbing her shoulders and arms rapidly, not daring to try to warm her any other places. Helga's eyes slowly closed and after a while, her breathing become regular. Arnold on the other hand, started to shake a bit himself. He would usually be sweating beneath a duvet this big, but with a cold Helga next to him, he only felt exactly that. Cold.

When Helga didn't seem to shiver as violently as before, Arnold was about to leave her be, thinking that cold or not; it couldn't be any fun having a guy next to her while she was naked and vulnerable like that. Violated in the past or not. When she felt him shift though to get out of the bed, she grabbed his shoulder. He stopped promptly and turned his head to look at her questioningly. She didn't say anything though, but just moved herself closer to him, feeling as if he was the last drop of water out in the desert. She was still so cold and he was still so very _warm_.

Arnold blushed at Helga's actions, but didn't move away. With a small gulp, he made sure not to touch her too much while he turned on his side, letting her rest her forehead on his chest. Timidly, he placed his arm around her back, rubbing it to warm her up. As he started to relax in this rather suggestive position, he noticed something warm and liquid against his chest. Realizing that Helga had started crying, he bit at his lower lip.

Deciding to shove away any other thoughts than warming her up, Arnold moved closer to her, wrapping her in his arms. He snuggled as close to her as physically possible, nuzzling his nose in her wet hair as he kept rubbing her back and holding her close. He barely noticed it when Helga wrapped her own arms around his waist.

* * *

**Author's 2nd note: Sorry. I shouldn't end this chapter with such a cliffhanger, so to speak, but I couldn't deny the temptation 3 Forgive me? xD**


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